July 2016 Newsletter: Training New Prosecutors, Advancing Justice Abroad and more...

July 2016

Volume 1, Issue 4

Dear Friends:

I recently hired 16 new prosecutors for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Learn more about our new hiring process and how we train new deputy district attorneys for the courtroom.

Spotlight: Training New Prosecutors

Before they go to court, new deputy district attorneys have a lot to learn.

Sixteen new prosecutors joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (LADA) last month and are spending their first weeks learning the basics of prosecuting criminal cases.

Over the next six months, LADA’s newest employees will prepare for the realities of being a criminal prosecutor in the nation’s largest local prosecutorial office.

Their new training schedule, adopted at the behest of their predecessors, focuses on learning and then doing in quick succession. In the past, new hires spent six weeks in the classroom and then were sent out to courtrooms to practice what they had learned.

New deputy district attorneys now receive two weeks of course-work from veterans on fundamental court skills and how to properly conduct a preliminary hearing. They then move from classroom to courtroom to get practical courtroom experience.

After that, the new prosecutors return to the classroom for three weeks of interactive study on prosecuting misdemeanor trials. As part of the training, mock trial exercises are videotaped so these presentations may be reviewed, critiqued and then made better.

Again, the deputy district attorneys go back to court to try their first misdemeanor cases. After a final week of classroom training, they are assigned to branch and area offices.

This year, 48 new prosecutors are expected to join LADA and take part in training, with new classes starting in August and November.

The new prosecutors fill positions vacated through attrition.

Fraud Alert

Significant Cases

Online counterfeit drug scams are prevalent and can not only drain savings but also be deadly.

Read the news release and watch the video to see how you can avoid falling for this scam.

Learn more about the prison sentence a man received for stealing a tricycle that was custom-made for a teen with cerebral palsy.
A contractor has been charged with stealing nearly $1 million from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Read more about the 12 felony counts he faces.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey has asked the governor to deny parole to a Manson cult follower. Find out why the District Attorney considers the release of murder convict Leslie Van Houten “an unreasonable danger to society.”

Advancing Justice Abroad

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (LADA) is home to some of the nation’s leading experts in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving public integrity, hardcore gangs and high-technology crime.

A thought leader in the criminal justice community, LADA has a distinguished history of training other agencies. Staff often are invited to share their expertise in various disciplines with domestic and foreign prosecutors and law enforcement personnel.

Delegations from around the globe visit LADA to learn best practices. Pakistani and Chinese attorneys have learned about public corruption prosecutions from the Public Integrity Division. Delegates from the Asian country of Kyrgyzstan have received training from the Justice System Integrity Division. And prosecutors from the African nation of Uganda have convened with the Hardcore Gang Division.

Additionally, experts from LADA’s Bureau of Investigation and the High Technology Crime Division have traveled to Europe, Asia and the United Arab Emirates to provide instruction on cyber investigations.

The office entered a partnership in 2015 with the U.S. State Department that further broadened its reach. Under the terms of the agreement, LADA offers training to foreign governments to help advance international and U.S. security.

By expanding its training programs beyond national borders, LADA aims to advance law enforcement initiatives in other parts of the world while also developing a better understanding of transnational threats to public safety.

Did You Know...?

Los Angeles County’s first District Attorney was based in San Diego. William C. Ferrell was elected prosecutor for California’s First Judicial District, which included Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

He was elected in April 1850 for a one-year term; his salary was derived from 10 percent of civil judgments and fees paid from guilty criminal defendants’ fines.

Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office | (213) 974-3512 | [email protected]

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