Over one-third of prosecutors in Franklin County have left their jobs since
new leadership was elected in 2020, according to a new article from The
Columbus Dispatch. In what it calls a “Brain Drain,” the article
discusses how the large number of departing prosecutors is impacting the
way justice is administered in Franklin County.
According to the
Dispatch, it remains unclear whether the exodus of attorneys at the Franklin County
Prosecutor’s Office is the result of a new Democratic prosecutor,
Gary Tyack, replacing long-standing Republican County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien,
evidence of larger problems with new leadership, or a perfect storm of
new management, pandemic conditions, and high rates of churn across the
labor market.
Regardless, industry insiders say the number of departing prosecutors is
far from typical. Since 2020, the article reports, 38 of the roughly 110
have left the prosecutor’s office. There are currently 121 prosecutors
and seven open positions under the new leadership.
The turnover created by departing prosecutors and hiring of new attorneys,
who must be trained, is already having an impact on the local court system.
In addition to placing strain on an already busy prosecutor’s office,
it’s also resulting in delays caused by the difficulty of adequately
staffing complicated cases. Some defense attorneys have reported that
they’ve had several criminal cases interrupted by prosecutors leaving
the office. As Attorney Brad Koffel notes, the speed bumps faced new administration
were expected given the difficulties it faced following the previous team:
“Ron O’Brien ran the Franklin County Prosecutors Office like
a machine. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for the new crew to take
over after Ron was surprisingly defeated in 2020.”
Many interviewed by the
Dispatch have voiced similar statements that the exodus is less about politics
and more about concerns over management and prosecutors’ ability
to serve crime victims and the public. Since becoming County Prosecutor,
Tyack has operated the office much like prosecutors in large U.S. cities
by largely staying out of the courtroom and assuming an administrative
role (in contrast to his predecessor). In cases involving high-profile
criminal matters, this means Assistant Prosecutor Jane Grubb, who was
one of Tyack’s first appointees, often serves as the face of the
prosecutor’s office.
Criminal Defense Attorney
Brad Koffel has represented defendants in Franklin County and the state of Ohio for
30 years. As he notes:
“We have one of the busiest privately retained practices in Ohio
and our cases in Franklin County are taking much longer to resolve than
at any time in my career. However, I have known Janet Grubb, the First
Assistant, for 30 years. We just need to give the new team some time.”
According to Grubb, many senior staffers have stuck around and will continue
to serve as the backbone of the office. Coupled with recent trends that
show higher rates of staffing shake-ups, the office is taking a positive
position that this will help the team right its ship.
Read the full article from
The Columbus Dispatch here.
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