Departments
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is the largest prosecuting agency in Northern California.
The Office represents the law enforcement needs of Santa Clara County, which has a population exceeding 1,700,000 residents in fifteen cities, including San Jose and unincorporated areas. The District Attorney's Office handles over 40,000 cases a year. The Office has a staff of over 600 people, including attorneys, investigators, forensic analysts, paralegals, clerical workers and volunteers. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Crime Laboratory analyzes thousands of evidence items each year.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit handles all cases dealing with seizure of proceeds from drug sales. This can include cars, money, jewelry and homes.
The Bureau of Investigation includes 86 sworn peace officers that have the same statutory authority as police officers. These include the Chief Investigator, Assistant Chief Investigator, and six Supervising Criminal Investigators, who supervise various units within the Bureau.
The Central Felony Team prosecutes felony cases in the San Jose facility of the Superior Court. The unit is responsible for the prosecution of felony crimes that occur in the central portion of the county, including the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, Campbell, Milpitas, and Los Gatos.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Child Abduction Unit (CAU) has been in operation for 26 years to bring children home who have been abducted by a parent or family member. California prosecutors are empowered to use both civil and criminal laws in child abduction and visitation violation cases.
The Child Abuse, Endangerment and Neglect Unit of the Family Violence Division handles all criminal cases involving physical abuse, endangerment and neglect of children. This includes physical abuse and neglect that occurs in homes, schools, and hospitals.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen re-established a Cold Case Unit in 2011, to assist county law enforcement agencies with the investigation of unsolved homicides and sexual assaults.
Community Prosecutors work with County, City, and law enforcement agencies to assist residents in identifying houses, businesses, and other activities that make their neighborhood a less desirable place to live and that increase community risk factors.
Since 1999, the Unit has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the community and government partners to reduce juvenile crime in traditionally underserved communities to improve the quality of life for all residents.
The Consumer Protection Unit is responsible for processing all inquiries received from consumers who are complaining about businesses.
The County of Santa Clara District Attorney’s Crime Laboratory is an internationally accredited forensic laboratory serving all criminal justice agencies in County of Santa Clara.