SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN announced today that he secured a commitment from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to hire seven additional attorneys and six additional support staff members for Nevada's U.S. Attorney's Office. The Nevada office has faced a worsening staff shortage, now at one of its lowest points as it operates with less than 80 percent of its allocated employees.

"Nevada's office has been understaffed for too long, and despite our state's rapid growth, the office has fewer employees now than it did in 2002," said Ensign, who has been working with the Department of Justice to bring additional resources to the U.S. Attorney's Office. "This commitment is a step in the right direction because inadequate staffing has left the people who protect our communities stretched thin."

According to federal allocations, the Nevada office should have about 45 attorneys on staff, but today there are only 38, which is only one more than 2002. Gonzales also committed to hiring additional support staff for Nevada. When considering both attorneys and support staff, the Nevada office has six fewer total employees than it did in 2002, even though it represents one of the fastest growing states in the nation.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office in Nevada represents one of the largest and fastest growing districts in the country, but its staffing does not reflect that and it has not for years," said Ensign. "Nevada needs to have adequate resources to effectively prosecute criminal cases relating to terrorism, child predators or identity theft for example. I appreciate the Attorney General's commitment to hiring these additional employees."

Nevada's U.S. Attorney's Office currently has about 71 total employees. The office works with federal agencies such the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service to prosecute cases on behalf of the federal government.