(AP) – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt knows how tight budgets can affect law enforcement and prosecutions. It’s a thin line, he says between balancing the demands of public safety with other government programs.

Budget cuts were at the heart of a dispute in recent days in Topeka and Shawnee County over the prosecution of domestic battery cases. While that issue appeared to be resolved, Schmidt said others are playing out statewide, including his own agency.

The attorney general oversees the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which Schmidt says has been hampered by a series of small budget cuts in recent years. He says the KBI struggles to keep up with the demands of investigations.

Schmidt says the challenges forces all levels of law enforcement to get creative in their solutions.