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 Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office adult Gang Prosecution Unit prosecutes gang related felony offenses, including homicides. Cases are vertically prosecuted; that is, they are handled from start to finish by the same attorney who specializes in gang prosecutions.
The District Attorney's Office serves as one of the legal advisors to the grand jury and may appear before the grand jury at all times for the purpose of giving information or advice relative to any matter cognizable by the grand jury.
The term "hate crime" describes various crimes of violence against a person, threats of violence against a person, or damage to property because of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation, or because there is a perception the person has one or more of those characteristics.
The High-Technology Crime Unit was formed to cope with the unique law enforcement problems posed by the emerging high technology environment in what is commonly known as Silicon Valley.
The Homicide Team consists of nine attorneys who handle approximately one-half of the murder cases that occur in the County of Santa Clara.
The County of Santa Clara Office of the District Attorney has several attorneys, investigators, and a paralegal whose sole responsibility is to prosecute and investigate insurance fraud cases.
The Issuing Unit reviews and authorizes formal criminal charges for filing in court on general crimes cases that have been submitted to the District Attorney's Office by a law enforcement agency.
The Juvenile Justice Unit is responsible for reviewing and prosecuting all referrals for juvenile delinquent activity committed in the County of Santa Clara. This includes screening cases for informal supervision, diversion, and certification to adult court and traditional prosecution.
The deputy district attorney assigned to the Lifer Hearings Unit attends parole hearings held for life prisoners convicted out of this county at prison facilities throughout the state who have reached their minimum parole eligibility dates.
The Major Fraud Unit is responsible for prosecuting cases involving serious and complex fraud, also known as White Collar Crime, where the loss exceeds $100,000.