Federal cuts could put Wisconsin in a bind, when it comes to prosecuting crime. "The federal Byrne grant, which is a grant for law enforcement, has been cut by two-thirds," says Katherine White, assistant district attorney for Shawano County, and president of the Association of State Prosecutors . White says that grant has funded a number of prosecutors around Wisconsin. "Obviously, without those funds, we can't retain those prosecutors." While there's nothing that can be done about the Byrne grants , White says action at the state level could help. "We have approached the legislature to authorize more positions," says White. "Obviously, we've been doing that for months and years. Because even without the loss of these Byrne grant positions we are down, according to the Legislative Audit Bureau's own study, over 120 prosecutors statewide."
