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Courts streamline services, cut redundancies under new law

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – A decline in the number of misdemeanor cases filed is prompting an Indiana court to reorganize its staff and cut its payroll.

Tippecanoe County Court Services will cut four of its seven existing full-time staff positions this summer as part of a broader effort to streamline the way defendant needs are met.

The Journal & Courier reports Court Services will become a division within the county probation department. That will require all Court Services evaluators and case managers to be eligible for certification as a probation officer.

Tippecanoe County Judge Sean Persin says St. Joseph County has made a similar move following passage of a state law that calls for counties to eliminate redundant services.

He says counties that duplicate services aren’t given priority status for state grants.