Tough economic times could leave more criminals on the streets.

Kern County District Attorney Ed Jagels warned Friday that county budget cuts could force deep layoffs in his department. Jagels said important evidence may not get analyzed in the crime lab, and some crimes may not get prosecuted.

All Kern County departments have been ordered to come up with plans to cut spending by at least 15 percent, Jagels said that could only be done in his department by cutting personnel.

In the crime lab, Jagels' plan would lay off six workers. The DA said that means some evidence may not be ready in time for when a case must go to trial.

He said programs involving investigative analysis would end.

"Probably means the end of our physical evidence and DNA programs," Jagels said, "which are programs most people care about when you think about forensic science — the programs that solve robberies, murders and rapes."

It was work in the crime lab recently that led to the quick arrest of a suspect in the alleged rape near the Babies"R"Us store on Rosedale Highway.

In the DA's office, plans call for laying off a total of 20 staff. That would include five deputy district attorneys, four district attorney investigators and three investigative aides.

The DA said that will mean fewer misdemeanor cases prosecuted.

"There will be whole categories of misdemeanors, I don't wish to identify the categories, which will in all likelihood not be prosecuted any longer," he said.

Jagels said that would even include some gang cases.

"Gang prosecutions would also be severely affected," he said. "We'll have far fewer gang prosecutors, and that is very disturbing."

The other proposed layoffs are seven welfare fraud investigators and one director of collections.

In his letter to the Kern County Board of Supervisors, Jagels said he is proposing the staff cuts now because any delay in taking the action would shorten the period of time in the fiscal year over which the savings would be realized, and cause even worse impacts.

The cuts in the DA's office are projected to save about $2.4 million in Fiscal 2009-10. The crime lab layoffs would have an estimated savings of about $600,000.

The supervisors will draw up the next year's budget in July.

Jagels said his plan to meet the spending target will have "grave" impacts on public safety.

"Our families (and) our property will be in far greater danger than they are today if these cuts go through," Jagels said.