(The Center Square) – Spokane’s elected officials received an update Monday on community court capacity, noting an almost 87% increase in caseload from last year amid concerns over long-term sustainability.
The update came as Spokane prepares to fully enforce its anti-camping ordinances in light of a recent Supreme Court decision that restored law enforcement’s ability to do so. However, with caseloads through the roof, the city council is skeptical about how much the court can sustain.
During a Monday committee meeting, Court Administrator Howard Delaney told the council that his department could absorb the increased volume under its current staffing model. He said the public defenders and prosecutor’s offices are the ones struggling.
“Both the prosecutors and public defenders are literally at the edge of what they can do with existing staffing levels,” Delaney said. “Both of them really need to add another attorney to community court and they just don’t have the staff.”
He said Spokane is also losing two public defenders at the end of August, which the city might not be able to replace until October. On top of that, there’s only one prosecutor with limited staff.