Number of prosectors working in Oregon

May 28, 2012 10:36 AM

How do I find out how many prosecutors are working in Oregon?

I live in Grants Pass, Oregon and our county just laid off 4 of 9 prosecutors (here's a link to explain what happened). A friend rhetorically asked me if we really needed 9 prosecutors and it got me thinking. I was wondering if 9 was an average amount to have for a county our size (83,000). I mean, if I just got robbed or became a victim of a violent crime here in Josephine County I'd want to make sure I had some one on the case. Thanks for your time and help.

posted by alteredcarbon to Law & Government (5 answers total)

The Oregon District Attorneys Association has a list of all the District Attorneys in Oregon, with contact information and websites. If the websites don't list all the prosecutors, you could contact them individually to inquire about the number of prosecutors they employ. Or you could try contacting the Director of the ODAA (listed at the bottom of the previous link) directly for the information you're after.
posted by jeffch at 11:25 AM on May 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Our county's website lists all the prosecutors employed here, so you might be reduced to going to each website, counting, and comparing to county residents (I'd also look at crime stats, as these can vary wildly in similarly-sized counties, so a pure ratio of prosecutor:population won't necessarily be the most accurate measure).
posted by purenitrous at 8:43 PM on May 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

I know in my county the list is not on the website, but there is a list that does exist. However, I don't think looking at the pure number of district attorneys in the state is that informative because, even in smaller counties, deputy DA's have different specialities. Some prosecute major felonies, others misdemeanors and even others just deal with the child support contempt and mental commitment dockets. Also, it is a bit hysterical to say that important person crimes won't be prosecuted. Take Multnomah County for example - they have a DA shortage, so they are treating most misdemeanors (low level drug possession, theft, property crimes, etc) as violations (think parking or speeding ticket). However, they are still prosecuting DV and DUII crimes because the interests of the community safety in those cases are so important.
posted by miss meg at 10:01 PM on May 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

I suggest visiting the Oregon State Bar's website to see if it has the info you need. Oregon is a state that has mandatory membership, so every attorney in the state is a bar member.
posted by tacodave at 4:45 PM on May 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you all for your answers, they've been very helpful.
posted by alteredcarbon at 8:31 PM on June 2, 2012