HAMILTON — Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper wants to skip preliminary hearings and take felony cases directly to grand juries.

        Eliminating those hearings would save prosecutors and courts time and would save money for sheriff's and police departments, he said.

        But to make the change to a “rapid indictment” system, Mr. Piper said he would need $80,000 to $100,000 from the county to hire another assistant prosecutor and a legal aide.

        “In the long run, it will save money,” Mr. Piper said.

        County commissioners have said they like the concept and told Mr. Piper to research it further.

        At preliminary hearings, municipal and area-court judges decide whether there is probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.

        Mr. Piper and Judge Connaughton said that in many cases, the evidence is so overwhelming, preliminary hearings are unnecessary.

        Law-enforcement agencies would save money from not having to pay officers overtime to testify at preliminary hearings, Mr. Piper said.

        Under the current system, grand juries operate for two weeks out of a month.

        Because the “rapid indictment” system would require a grand jury every day, the prosecutor's office would need to hire an assistant prosecutor and a legal aide assigned exclusively to grand juries, Mr. Piper said.

        Butler County would model its “rapid indictment” system after Hamilton County's.

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