The following are brief descriptions of the bureaus, divisions, special units and programs which constitute the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. For those entries which are highlighted in blue, more information is available elsewhere on this site. To jump to a section on this page, please select one of the options below.

Administration
District Attorney Jan Scully is assisted in administering the District Attorney's Office by Chief Deputy Cindy Besemer and Assistant Chief Deputies Albert Locher, John O'Mara, Steve Grippi, Jeff Rose and Vincent Adeszko. Rounding out the chief administrative heads are Chief Investigator Steve McKinney, Laboratory Director Robert Jarzen, and Chief Administrator Paul Verma. These people are supported by an administrative staff that provides financial, personnel and operational support.

Bad Checks
The District Attorney's Bad Check Enforcement Program tracks down those who write bad checks and seeks to have money returned to victims who received the checks. The bad-check program deters future offenses through a diversion program and possible criminal prosecution.

Calendars, Appeals, Research and Training
The Calendars, Appeals, Research and Training (CART) Unit is responsible for the misdemeanor calendar departments and all misdemeanor appeals. This unit is comprised of attorneys, support staff, and a large number of interns, including work study, clinical and volunteer. These attorneys, interns and support staff handle over 6,000 cases a month at the downtown Office of the District Attorney. This unit is also responsible for the prosecution of cases at the Carol Miller Justice Center, located at 301 Bicentennial Circle, in Sacramento.

Career Criminal Prosecution
Five experienced prosecutors and one secretary focus their primary prosecutorial effort on criminal defendants who commit robbery and residential burglary. The goal of the unit since its inception in 1977 has been to seek maximum sentences consistent with justice for multiple and repeat offenders (career criminals) pursuant to Penal Code Sections 999(b)-(h).

Child Abuse
The Special Assault and Child Abuse Unit handles crimes committed against the most vulnerable of victims: children and the elderly.

Citizens Academy
The District Attorney sponsors and conducts its Citizens Academy in an effort to engage minority communities in communication, participation, and mutual learning on the criminal justice system. The theme of the academy is that "It Takes a Community"—which includes people of all races, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation and national origin—in order to achieve long-term strategies and solutions to public safety issues. While the mission of the academy is to provide information and resources, mutual learning, critical analysis of issues, and exchange of ideas and perspectives; the vision of the academy is to achieve improved relations and communication between diverse communities and the criminal justice system.

Community Prosecution
The Community Prosecution Unit is comprised of a staff of deputy district attorneys who are stationed out in the community and are assigned to work with citizens, law enforcement agencies, community groups and businesses to improve neighborhood quality of life. Community prosecutors are now assigned to six geographic areas within Sacramento County. Click here to read about the Unit's GIFT (Gun-violence Information for Teens) program.

Consumer and Environmental Protection
The Consumer and Environmental Protection Division is comprised of a consumer unit and an environmental unit. The Consumer Unit investigates and prosecutes unfair, fraudulent and dishonest business practices which harm consumers and honest businesses. The Consumer Unit also receives and investigates consumer complaints. The Environmental Unit uses a combination of civil and criminal prosecution to enforce the laws that prohibit the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes and other pollutants onto public or private property and into the air and waterways.

Domestic Violence
The Domestic Violence Unit is a multidisciplinary team of attorneys, advocates, investigators and support staff involved in the prosecution of domestic violence cases in Sacramento County. The cases prosecuted include sexual abuse, physical abuse, stalking and restraining order violations.

Elder Abuse
The Elder Abuse Vertical Prosecution Program handles all felony cases involving elder and dependent adult abuse, which includes physical, mental and financial abuse involving elders, as well as neglect cases.

Felony Bureau
The Felony Bureau of the District Attorney's Office is responsible for the prosecution of all felony cases not assigned to one of the office's specialized prosecution units. Attorneys assigned to the felony bureau prosecute a wide range of cases, including theft crimes, assaults, narcotics possession, three-strikes offenses, robbery, burglary, firearms charges, manslaughter and attempted murder. The bureau is comprised of three distinct teams, which handle the distinct phases of felony case prosecution—Superior Court Review, Preliminary Hearing and Felony Trial Team.

Forensic Laboratory
The Laboratory of Forensic Services provides Sacramento County with the highest quality service available for the recognition, collection, preservation, scientific analysis and interpretation of physical evidence, with a goal towards presentation of such evidence in criminal court cases. The laboratory is housed in a modern facility, constructed in 1996, and has a large technical and administrative staff.

Gang Violence and Hate Crimes
The Gang Violence and Hate Crime Suppression Team prosecutes cases involving hardcore street gang offenders, as well as hate and biased-related criminal conduct, with an emphasis on victim participation and support.

Major Crimes
The Major Crimes Unit prosecutes homicides occurring within Sacramento County. The unit is comprised of veteran prosecutors with years of experience, as well as experienced criminal investigators and clerical support staff.

Insurance Fraud
The Insurance Fraud Unit prosecutes worker compensation fraud and automobile insurance fraud cases, with a staff of attorneys, investigators and clerical support staff dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of these types of fraud crimes.

Intake and Filing
The Consolidated Intake Division of the District Attorney's Office is responsible for reviewing law enforcement reports of criminal conduct and determining whether or not there is sufficient evidence to file felony or misdemeanor charges and convict the accused of the crimes which are the subject of the reports.

Investigations
The Bureau of Investigations is comprised of criminal investigators, investigative assistants, crime scene and equipment technicians, process servers, clerical staff and investigative interns. This bureau provides the investigative services in support of the prosecution teams.

Juvenile Prosecution
The Juvenile Division is responsible for the prosecution of all individuals under the age of 18 who engage in criminal conduct within the County of Sacramento. Attorney staff in the division are also responsible for determining whether or not a serious felony case involving a juvenile should be filed directly in adult court.

Mental Health Litigation Team
The Mental Health Litigation Team utilizes civil procedures to commit individuals involuntarily who have completed their maximum prison sentences or hospital commitments but remain a danger to society and who meet certain conditions for being committed.

Misdemeanors
The Misdemeanor Jury Trial Unit is responsible for the prosecution of all misdemeanor cases that have been set for trial. This includes driving under the influence, child annoyance, physical abuse, petty theft, prostitution and a wide variety of other misdemeanor crimes. Generally all new prosecutors begin their career in this unit, where they are trained and evaluated by a large staff of experienced prosecutors.

Narcotics
The Major Narcotics Unit prosecutes the county's largest drug cases, including clandestine methamphetamine labs, as well as the transportation and possession for sale of all types of controlled substances.

Parental Child Abduction and Visitation Enforcement
This unit enforces custody orders and rights of individuals who are residents of Sacramento County at the time their custody order or right is violated, as well as increase access of children to both parents whenever the Family Court has determined this to be in the best interest of the children.

Prison Crimes Prosecution Team
This team is responsible for reviewing and prosecuting crimes committed at all state prison facilities located in Sacramento County. Referrals include crimes allegedly committed by inmates, staff and visitors, as well as by state prison inmates in transit or in escape status.

Public Assistance Fraud
The Public Assistance Fraud Prosecution Team reviews and prosecutes all instances of fraud referred by the Investigative Unit of the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance, as well as referrals from any law enforcement agency in Sacramento County discovering public assistance fraud in any unrelated investigation.

Sexual Assaults
The Adult Sexual Assault Prosecution Unit is staffed by specially trained attorneys who prosecute sexual offenses involving victims 14 years or older. Most of the cases handled in the unit involve forcible sexual assault.

Special Investigations/Real Estate Fraud
The Special Investigations Division prosecutes financial crimes with losses in excess of $100,000.00, real estate fraud and specialized cases including misconduct by public officials, political corruption and election fraud.

State Targeted Offenses Program
The State Targeted Offenses Program (STOP) combines state-mandated programs into one division within the District Attorney's Office. The division combines similar functions and was created to maximize effectiveness through vertical prosecution teams and specialized training. STOP is comprised of five individual units—Prison Crimes, Vehicle Theft, Mental Health Litigation, Public Assistance Fraud and Parental Child Abduction.

Vehicle Theft
The Vehicle Theft Unit is responsible for reviewing and prosecuting serious vehicle theft crimes of several types.

Victim Services
Many victims of violent crime suffer physical and emotional harm, as well as financial loss, as a result of a crime. Others may face retaliation or intimidation, or may be confused by the criminal justice system. Assistance is available for victims of violent crimes through the Victim Witness Assistance Program. Trained and experienced victim advocates provide crisis counseling, direct assistance, information about the criminal justice system and community referrals.