Complaints about due process and public safety have mounted in Milwaukee County as felony case backlogs have surpassed pandemic highs.

The backlogs, which originally peaked during the pandemic era, have increased even further to over 10,000 as district attorneys and judges struggle to keep up with cases.

Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern highlighted due process concerns related to the backlogs, which could violate defendants’ rights to a speedy trial.

“‘Justice delayed, justice denied’ applies to everybody,” Lovern said. 

While the District Attorney is concerned about due process, the backlog has also had grave concerns for public safety.(RELATED: Waukesha School Board Member’s Social Media Posts Raise Questions About Superintendent Evaluation Process)

Last week, a Milwaukee man was charged with first-degree homicide after he stabbed a woman over 20 times. The suspect, Mile Dukic, had two open felony cases against him for stalking and bail jumping.

The Wisconsin State Public Defender’s office believes that the situation should be addressed by dropping charges against offenders, a controversial approach that has received criticism in other states and cities.

“We believe prosecutors should be exercising more discretion in which referrals they are charging,” a spokesperson for the office said.

While public defenders are advocating for more leniency, DA Lovern denied that his office was overcharging defendants. (RELATED: Judge Sanctions Kenosha County DA Xavier Solis for Using AI in Court Filing)

“I want to make it very clear: I don’t have goals for what we ought to be charging,” he said. “I don’t have a directive of what the percentage of our charging rate should be.”

In addition to prosecutors and judges, Milwaukee police have been stretched to the limit as a result of contract disputes that were finally resolved in late November.

The contract dispute lasted three years after the MPD contract expired in 2022. Police officers will now receive back pay and a 14.25% raise.