Mortgage fraud is an increasing problem in the new economy, and the Utah Attorney General's Office has seen an increased caseload. Scams promising to save homeowners are also on the rise.

"It's a major criminal issue for Utah," said the attorney general, who noted that a position to help crack down on mortgage fraud was cut in the Utah Legislature's latest special session.

The Utah attorney general's identity-theft reporting system, a one-stop reporting center for ID theft victims nicknamed IRIS, is still being perfected. Other attorneys general are beginning to look at Utah's system, which is designed to make it easier for victims to report it to law enforcement and get help from banks and credit bureaus to clear their stolen name.

"I really would like to see that a nationwide database before I end this term," he said.

The attorney general is bracing for budget cuts in the upcoming legislative session — worried that he faces losing employees.

"Crime isn't going down. In fact, during hard economic times, crime goes up," he said.

Shurtleff is also still facing a long and painful recovery from a motorcycle crash last year that shattered his leg. He was practicing for a charity motorcycle ride for slain police officers when he hit a patch of gravel and laid a Harley-Davidson down on his left leg.

After numerous surgeries, Shurtleff's doctors agreed to try a unique procedure to save his leg. It is now encased in halos with wires running in and out of his leg. If it didn't work, his doctors had discussed with him the possibility of amputation.

After his last hospitalization, Shurtleff said he got some good news: His broken bone was growing, and there was a chance that within a few months he could be walking without the awkward device encasing his leg.

"It's a good sign," he said.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com