New Jersey will look at taking over county prosecutor duties

Amid a series of cuts to state-funded programs, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will look at a state takeover of county prosecutor duties.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed an executive order creating a new commission to examine the county prosecutor system in New Jersey.  Some of the largest counties have been asking the state to take over their work, saying it is a financial drain.

Governor Christie says the County Prosecutor Study Commission will look into how the current system operates and consider a wide range of possible alterations.

“Everything from, on one side of it, a complete takeover by the state of the system, kind of along the model of the Department of Justice and their interaction with the United States Attorneys offices, through to no changes at all,” Christie says.

Christie says the issues that will be examined include the fairness of law enforcement across the state, the expense from potential redundancies in prosecutors’ offices, and how to improve efficiency. The 13-member commission headed by Attorney General Paula Dow will make its recommendations to the Governor by December 15th.