{"id":1515,"date":"2026-06-01T22:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2026-06-01T22:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:07:17","slug":"durham-wants-more-police-but-budget-would-cut-prosecutors-what-the-da-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1515","title":{"rendered":"Durham wants more police, but budget would cut prosecutors. What the DA says."},"content":{"rendered":"

Durham County\u2019s district attorney is warning proposed budget cuts next year could have immediate impacts on her office.<\/p>\n

Read more List: Watch parties for the 2026 Stanley Cup around the Triangle for Canes fans<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday afternoon, Satana Deberry sent a letter to the Durham City Council and City Manager Bo Ferguson expressing her \u201cprofound disappointment\u201d with the city\u2019s proposed budget for the fiscal that begins July 1.<\/p>\n

The budget, as Ferguson presented May 18, proposes a $313,493 cut in funding to the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, which oversees the Office of the District Attorney. Deberry said that will result in a 10% reduction in staff and \u201cdismantle almost three decades of cooperation between this office and the City of Durham.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferguson\u2019s $766.1 million spending plan<\/a> keeps the city\u2019s property tax rate flat but recommends funding cuts for certain areas, increases to utility bills and no merit pay increases for city employees. The City Council plans to vote on the budget proposal on June 15.<\/p>\n

The money slated to be cut pays for two assistant district attorneys (ADAs). These prosecutors are stationed daily within the District Criminal Court, District Traffic Court and Juvenile Delinquency Court where there is the highest volume, Deberry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe positions are already severely underfunded, with the ADAs in those positions making only $65,000\/year. The market salary for entry level attorneys in the Triangle is twice that,\u201d she wrote. \u201cMy staff are already some of the lowest paid attorneys in state government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cutting these position mid-year, Deberry said, will have a big impact on young attorneys entering the job market that is \u201conly active once a year and summer is not that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the prosecutors in the district attorney\u2019s office who will remain, their caseloads will swell, slowing the legal system more.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJustice delayed is justice denied,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Outside of position cuts, Deberry said the ADAs are also integral to the Durham Expunction and Restoration (DEAR) Clinic, another program facing proposed funding rollbacks.<\/p>\n

The DA\u2019s office and DEAR have historically focused on restoring drivers\u2019 licenses and clearing the records of thousands of Durham County residents. Deberry wrote that the clinic has helped forgive over $2 million in fines and fees. The money is returned to the local economy, expands employment and education access, and lowers insurance costs.<\/p>\n

As the City Council talks about public safety, including solutions to gun violence, Deberry pointed to a paradox in the proposed cuts. The city is talking about expanding the Durham Police Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cHiring more law enforcement officers means there must be more prosecutors,\u201d Deberry wrote. \u201cFor the city to hire more police while cutting prosecutors simply does not make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durham\u2019s proposed cuts come as the next DA in neighboring Wake County is asking that county and several towns to help pay for more prosecutors.<\/p>\n

Last month, Wake\u2019s incoming DA Wiley Nickel detailed a $603,000 request<\/a> to add more assistant district attorneys and legal assistants, and to find a local supplement for public defenders. The funding would also improve mental health court in the county.<\/p>\n

The News & Observer has reached out to the city for comment on the proposed cuts to the DA\u2019s office and regarding Deberry\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n

Read more Photos: Scenes from the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup practice Monday<\/a><\/p>\n

Budget Cut Letter to City Council From Durham DA <\/a> by Kristen Johnson <\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Durham DA Satana Deberry said the city\u2019s proposed budget cut to the state Administrative Office of the Courts will result to 10% staff reduction in DA office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nDurham wants more police, but budget would cut prosecutors. 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