Few can argue with the need or desire to get tough with habitual criminals.

Far too often, as Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe has said, a handful of thugs are committing a high number of crimes. And the criminal justice system at times seems incapable of keeping them locked away.

Still, something inside me winched this week when CMPD announced a new plan to combat repeat offenders.

Working with the Mecklenburg district attorney and other branches of law enforcement, CMPD has compiled a list of some 200 people who, according to police, deserve special scrutiny.

With an assist from the Mecklenburg DA, police will monitor those individuals once they enter the criminal justice system and push for faster convictions and longer prison times. CMPD officers will attend bond hearings to make sure judges know the complete criminal records of high-priority suspects.

This all seems good and logical from a policing standpoint. It’s the DA’s role, however, that troubles me.

At its best, our prosecutorial system is a delicate dance between police officers who make arrests and collect evidence and prosecutors who evaluate those findings in the pursuit of justice. And while the two might appear at times to be one, their roles are necessarily different, even confrontational if need be.

Sure, I want a police department that is aggressive in arresting those who kill, injure and steal. But I also want a DA's offices that understands that it is not an arm of CMPD.