The new Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, Michael O’Malley says rescinding the half-million-dollar agreement his predecessor had with Cleveland to buy police dash-cams was difficult. But he says his office could not function properly without that money.
Before leaving office, former Prosecutor Tim McGinty contributed the money from its trust-fund account to Cleveland. The money comes from forfeitures in criminal convictions. O’Malley says that left only $100,000 in the fund, which he says needs at least $350,000.
“These are critical funds to our office as far as testing of various evidence, bringing in expert witnesses, bringing in witnesses who’ve moved out of town or are living out of town, or bringing in victims who aren’t from Cleveland. And it’s money we use to operate the office.”
O’Malley says to honor McGinty’s offer, money would have to be siphoned from other prosecutor’s office operating funds. He adds that he’s spoken with Mayor Frank Jackson about his decision, and that the mayor understands.
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