Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is hiring three new attorneys for the Statewide Prosecutions Section in the Iowa Department of Justice.
According to a job posting on the Attorney General’s website, the salary range for the new prosecutors is between $120,000 and $135,000 and they will assist county attorneys in the prosecution of felony-level crimes, like murder. The legislature provided Bird’s office with extra money for these positions, as well as others.
The government reorganization plan lawmakers approved this spring included language saying Bird may intervene in criminal prosecutions, even if a local county attorney does not request assistance. The Iowa County Attorneys Association objected, saying county attorneys are elected officials who answer to their constituents and they should retain prosecutorial discretion. A representative from Bird’s office told lawmakers it was important for the legislature to weigh in, so Bird’s authority would be clear.
Bird, who’s been attorney general for nearly six months, says she has not intervened in any county-level prosecutions. Bird, a Republican, defeated Tom Miller last November. Miller, a Democrat, had served as Iowa’s attorney general for 40 years.
