NH Attorney General's office is clearly stretched too thin
July 10 − To the Editor:
The NH Attorney General's office is a State agency funded by taxpayer dollars. One part of the office exists to investigate and prosecute alleged violations of our criminal statutes. Another is assigned the task defending the State, its various Departments, employees, agents and elected officials against claims of misfeasance or wrongdoing, in addition to upholding laws adopted by the legislature. Society is successful only when the law, both criminal and civil, is enforced fairly and promptly, and we feel comfortable in knowing that the resources are available to carry out this obligation.
Recently, someone contacted the AG's office with an inquiry about the numerous claims that have been filed regarding alleged sexual and physical abuse of minors while in the custody of State agencies and related organizations. The answer that was received is as follows: "We appreciate your taking the time to submit a question or concern. Because of the volume of emails we receive, we are unable to respond to every one. However, your email will be reviewed and a response provided if appropriate."
This should raise some serious questions.
First, it indicates pretty clearly that the office does not have adequate staffing to properly review and respond to legitimate communications from members of the public. More than likely this is not the fault of the agency, but an issue relating to proper funding to meet the growing demands of NH's increasing population and the complexity of the problems that are within the jurisdiction of the AG's office. It may be that the budget recently signed into law will be sufficient to meet this need, with employees added to the staff, and the above message will no longer be needed. This is a big "maybe", however.
Second, assuming this is an ongoing situation, the question arises…who decides which of the "questions or concerns" will be answered? Who decides what is "appropriate"? What are the criteria? And how many of the inquiries are actually answered and how many end up in the round file?
This is a serious issue for those who are tasked with the burden of deciding "who", "what", and "if ever"? The failure of the Governor and legislature, over many years, to fully fund our various State agencies not only does a disservice to the people of NH, but also to the employees in fulfilling the responsibilities of their positions. We and they deserve better.
Anthony McManus
Dover