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Baltimore State's Attorney Lays Off 9

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office has laid-off nine community liaisons due to budget constraints.

A spokesman says State Attorney Gregg Bernstein met with each of the liaisons individually on Wednesday and Thursday.

Spokesman Mark Cheshire says the city budget department recommended eliminating these positions last year, but they were retained. He says it just wouldn't be fiscally responsible to keep the positions any longer.

Cheshire says it's also part of the office's transition to a community prosecution model, where prosecutors focus on geographic territories instead of types of crimes.

The duties of keeping communities involved in the judicial process now falls to a combined three-person communications and community affairs office that includes Cheshire and one of the liaisons. A second liaison will take a position with the district court.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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