Negotiation, not threats

If we thought Commonwealth’s Attorney Denise Lunsford would actually stop prosecuting high-profile misdemeanors such as domestic assault and drunken driving — and so put her job at risk in the next election — we would be raising the roof in wrath.

But we don’t believe the Albemarle County prosecutor would abruptly abandon such cases, on principle alone.

But the likely reason she threatened to do so is still distressing: political posturing.

After learning that Richmond would be cutting $32,000 from her budget — the office is a state function; that’s why it’s called “commonwealth’s” attorney — Ms. Lunsford appeared before the Albemarle Board of Supervisors to say she might have cease prosecuting some misdemeanors unless the county kicked in compensation.

“Our office may or may not be there to prosecute those cases that you find so important,” she warned.

She listed DUI, domestic assault and underage possession of alcohol as examples of crimes that might not be prosecuted in Albemarle if the local government doesn’t provide funding.

These types of cases carry strong resonance in Albemarle. In the past, the county has worked hard to step up enforcement — and prosecution — of such crimes. Which may be why Ms. Lunsford chose them as her battering ram.

County supervisors accurately moaned that this funding cut was one more instance in which the state is pushing its responsibilities onto hard-pressed local governments.

Ms. Lunsford accurately countered that her office is mandated only to prosecute felonies. Prosecution of misdemeanors is a local responsibility.

Be that as it may, the warning that her office might quit prosecuting “some, if not all, misdemeanor cases” if not given replacement money is an extraordinary act of either desperation or gamesmanship.

We don’t know how strapped the prosecutor’s office considers itself to be, but we do know from Ms. Lunsford’s own words that “within the next 10 months” she would have to either find more money or make workload adjustments.

But how many of us haven’t had to make similar adjustments, in our personal or business budgets, in recent months? Ms. Lunsford’s situation isn’t unique.

And she had time to reach some better solution than airing this publicly at this time.

In fact, she still may have time to work behind the scenes with the county administrator in order to place her request in next spring’s budget. Just as prosecutors and defense attorneys negotiate plea agreements, she can quietly bargain for county assistance.