Spencer Merriweather said he needs more prosecutors to address the growing number of criminal cases, but recruitment and retention are difficult.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Officeย is facing significant challenges due to a lack of funding and resources, which is putting a strain on the local justice system. District Attorney Spencer Merriweather and local officials are calling for more state funding to hire more prosecutors.
Merriweather, speaking in an interview with WCNC Charlotte on Wednesday, described the burden on his office as “unbearable.” He explained that the staffing shortage is affecting the timely pursuit of justice, with cases taking longer to reach trial.
“There are inherent delays in work,” Merriweather said.ย
That means victims are forced to wait for justice. Merriweather said the delays can also make prosecutors’ jobs harder during trials.
“I do have a responsibility to make sure that cases don’t get old because what we know is that old cases make for weaker cases,” he added.
Simply put, the current manpower and resources at the District Attorneyโs Office are not keeping up with the countyโs growth.
“Each one of the prosecutors in my office that are assigned to handle homicides themselves, in many cases, have a larger inventory of cases than whole district attorney’s offices across the state,” Merriweather said.
The problem has garnered attention from other local leaders, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings, who expressed concern about the impact on the criminal justice process in January.ย
“In one week we had over 120 arrests from CMPD, and just to see how all this accumulates at the district attorney’s office, I donโt know how they can keep up with the resources they have,” Jennings said.
Currently, Mecklenburg County employs 62 state-funded prosecutors, with an additional 23 funded by the city and county. Merriweather said his office needs dozens more positions, but right now they have seven vacancies. Plus, recruiting new attorneys is challenging.
“Those are people that basically I’m asking as lawyers in one of the most expensive markets in the state and in our region, to come and work in the DA’s office for $60,000,” he said.
Without competitive pay, Merriweather is hoping to recruit attorneys who are motivated by the opportunity to make a difference in the community.
“Never has anyone who’s done this job had to wonder whether or not their job matters,” he said.
In recent years, the state has increased the average salary for prosecutors, but Merriweather pointed out that a prosecutor in Charlotte is paid the same as one in a smaller town with a lower cost of living.ย
In 2023, a bill was filed to provide locality pay for prosecutors in larger, more expensive areas, but it stalled in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
In response to the growing concerns, the Charlotte City Council voted recently to lobby for more state funding for the DAโs office.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.ย
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