The District Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of criminal violations of state law and county ordinances occurring within a county under California Government Code Section 26500. This includes investigation and apprehension, as well as prosecution in court.
For most misdemeanor crimes, the prosecution must file charges within one year from the date the offense was allegedly committed. If the crime is a felony, the prosecution generally has three years to file charges from the date the offense was allegedly committed.
SUMMER STEPHANSUMMER STEPHAN As District Attorney, she leads the second-largest DA's Office in California, managing a professional staff of 1,000 employees, serving as the People's Prosecutor for San Diego County and its more than three million residents.
four-yearI. The Role and Duties of a District Attorney Candidates for the office must fulfill the educational requirements to practice law in California before running for election. Previous experience as a prosecutor is not required. Elected district attorneys serve four-year terms and are eligible for reelection.
Because defendants have a right to a speedy trial, the prosecutor must generally file charges within 48 hours of the arrest when the defendant is in custody (in jail). Weekends, court holidays, and mandatory court closure days do not count against the 48 hours.
Statute of Limitations in Federal Crime Cases For most federal crimes, the statute of limitations is five years. Bank fraud has a statute of limitations of ten years. Immigration violations and arson are also subject to a ten year limit.
About 320 attorneys serve a county population of more than three million residents, making the Office of the San Diego County District Attorney the sixth-largest in the United States. The Bureau of Investigation's more than 115 sworn investigators made it one of the largest police forces in San Diego County in 2016.
District attorneys are either elected by the local constituents they represent or appointed by the chief executive of the jurisdiction. Except for the District of Columbia and three states—Connecticut, New Jersey, and Alaska—other 47 states across the country elect their District Attorneys.
39 deputy district attorneysThe division is led by Chief Tracy Prior and Assistant Chief Kurt Mechals and includes 39 deputy district attorneys, 14 investigators, 10 paralegals, and 16 other staff members who are stationed downtown as well as in each Branch office in the County.
In practice, district attorneys, who prosecute the bulk of criminal cases in the United States, answer to no one. The state attorney general is the highest law enforcement officer in state government and often has the power to review complaints about unethical and illegal conduct on the part of district attorneys.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón ran on a vow to shake up America's largest law enforcement jurisdiction. Sweeping progressive changes followed — and so has the California backlash.
Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.