Kevin T. Kane, reappointed Friday to a third term as chief state's attorney, wants to stay on the job another five years despite drastic budget cuts he says are impacting core government functions, such as the elimination of a New London County Cold Case Task Force devoted to investigating unsolved homicides.

During a phone interview Tuesday, Kane, 73, of Killingworth, said he is proud of the way state prosecutors have come together over the past decade to set policies and priorities and pleased with the work the division has done to solve cold cases. In his third term, Kane said he finds himself in the position of finding new ways to keep up with the challenges of protecting the public and ensuring justice.

The agency's budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 was reduced by $5 million, to $51 million, and included elimination of per diem prosecutors, regional infraction prosecutors and contract employees. Several vacant posts will remain unfilled, including, locally, the position of Inspector Thomas Pedersen, who recently retired from the New London State's Attorney's Office.

"We're really down to the bare bones now," Kane said. "I want to protect the division from further cuts and explore how we can keep being engaged with state and local police departments during the investigation of serious incidents."

Kane served as state's attorney in New London for 11 years before being appointed as the Connecticut's top prosecutor in 2006. The chief state's attorney heads up the the Division of Criminal Justice, an independent agency of the state's executive branch of government, which includes the main office in Rocky Hill and state's attorney's offices in each of the state's 13 judicial districts.

With 44 years of service as a Connecticut prosecutor, Kane is the longest-serving chief state's attorney since the position was created in 1973, according to a news release from an agency spokesman. The Criminal Justice Commission's vote to reappoint Kane was unanimous, the release said.

Kane said that as a result of the budget cuts, the division eliminated the Southeastern Connecticut Cold Case Unit, which had worked with state and local police agencies on unsolved homicides. Inspector Kenneth W. Edwards Jr., who was in charge of the unit, will be returning to the Rocky Hill Office. The division's in-house cold case bureau will continue to work on cases that have been actively investigated, Kane said.

"The degree to which we can continue working on new cases is something we're going to have to find a way to do," Kane said. "It's important. It's a core governmental function and one that impacts not only families, but whole neighborhoods and communities, and it impacts people's confidence in government."

About 1,000 homicides statewide are unsolved, according to Kane.

"To make it even harder, the bureau chief of cold case is Pat Griffin, who has just been appointed state's attorney in New Haven," Kane said.

The southeastern Connecticut cold case unit, comprising members of local police departments and the state's attorney's office, had been actively working on several cases, including the homicide of Christopher "Schmell" Schmeller, whose body was found in Waterford on Oct. 8, 2002; the shooting death of Kyle Seidel in Waterford on Dec. 21, 2012; and the death of Erika Cirioni of Norwich, whose remains were discovered in Montville in 2012, five years after she disappeared.

The unit had contributed to the arrest and conviction of Jose Ramos, who was recently sentenced to 60 years in prison for the October 2008 shooting death of Tynel Hardwick in Norwich; and to the arrest of LaShawn Cecil, who is awaiting trial for the shooting death of Jaclyn "Jackie" Wirth, 26, in Norwich on Dec. 14, 2011.

Kane said the criminal justice division is equally challenged when it comes to handling low-level offenses. Infractions are now being handled at Geographical Area courts, such as Norwich's G.A. 21, which Kane said already are overburdened.

"We're going to have to look at how we screen cases," Kane said.

In some cases, state's attorneys may decide not to prosecute crimes even though police had probable cause to make the arrest, he said.

"Sometimes the arrest solves the problem," Kane said. "We will have to re-evaluate which cases are a priority. We can't very well say we are going to stop prosecuting traffic offenses. That would make the roads more unsafe than they are today."

Kane began his career as a prosecutor as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the former 9th Circuit in Middletown in August 1972 and was promoted to prosecuting attorney in the fall of 1973. He transferred to the Office of the Chief State's Attorney in November 1978 where he served as the unit chief of the former Special Investigations Unit.

In 1986, he transferred to the Office of the State's Attorney for the Judicial District of New London. He was promoted to senior assistant state's attorney in 1988 and supervisory assistant state's attorney in 1990. He was appointed state's attorney in New London effective in January 1995 and served there until he became chief state's attorney in September 2006.

Kane earned his bachelor of arts degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., and his juris doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

k.florin@theday.com