District Attorney. Mission Statement. To do Justice, as no one is above the Law nor beneath its protection. Department Description and Key Issues

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1 Michael L. Ramsey, District Attorney District Attorney Department Summary Mission Statement To do Justice, as no one is above the Law nor beneath its protection. Department Description and Key Issues The District Attorney is a constitutional officer, mandated to review, investigate and prosecute all criminal violations of state and local laws occurring in Butte County. The District Attorney s priorities include the rights and services of victims of crime and the safety of our communities. As a state officer, the District Attorney acts by the authority of and in the name of the People of the State of California. The District Attorney receives adult and juvenile crime reports from more than twenty law enforcement and regulatory agencies, determines whether to file criminal complaints in the court and prosecutes cases on a vertical prosecution model, i.e., the same prosecutor handles the case from beginning to end. Vertical prosecution is very effective for case management and, most importantly, for victim consideration. Prosecution and investigation personnel are assigned to specialty areas of law to take advantage of experience, skills and grants. The specialty areas are listed with examples of crimes: Special Victims Unit (child abuse, elder abuse and sexual assault); Domestic Violence Unit (domestic violence, elder domestic violence and stalking); Child Abduction Unit (recovery of abducted children); Misdemeanor Crimes Unit (driving under the influence, petty theft, disturbances, misdemeanor assault, vandalism); Gang/Narcotics Crimes Unit; Drug Endangered Children Unit (rescuing children from homes with drugs, especially methamphetamine) Major Crimes Unit (homicides, kidnapping, felony assault/weapons, stolen vehicles);juvenile Crimes Unit; Economic and Computer Crimes Unit (property crimes, insurance fraud, identity theft, consumer fraud, embezzlement); Welfare Fraud and In Home Supportive Services Fraud Investigations Unit; Environmental and Consumer Protection Unit (civil and criminal prosecutions of environmental/public health and safety and consumer crimes); Collaborative/Problem Solving Courts Unit (Drug Courts and Domestic Violence Court). The key issues for the District Attorney s Office include the investigation and prosecution of crimes involving gangs, Drug Endangered Children (DEC), computer crimes and marijuana. Gangs - Information provided by the Sheriff indicates there are at least 25 gangs with more than 1,000 members and associates known to exist in Butte County and at least another 15 to frequent the county. In a recent report on gangs statewide, Butte County s gang membership is increasing significantly while membership in urban areas has been decreasing. Gang crime has become increasingly violent, graduating from sticks and knives to high-powered firearms. It has also been established that local gangs have become much more proactive in relation to local illegal drug distribution. Drug Endangered Children - In 2010, the number of children rescued was 111 with 78 taken into protective custody from drug-endangered homes and 41 of the children tested positive for at least one drug in their system. Over 400 tips are received annually involving children in drug homes. These tips have to be prioritized because there are not enough resources to investigate them all. Children in homes exposed to drugs are often subject to neglect, malnutrition, physical and sexual abuse, violence, weapons, pornography, aggressive dogs, animal feces, vermin, injuries from drug paraphernalia and chemicals. These children do not regularly attend school and frequently have lifelong medical, developmental, physiological and psychological effects. 125

2 Michael L. Ramsey, District Attorney District Attorney Department Summary Computer Crimes - Computer crime covers a range of crime including identity theft, internet scams, underage pornography, internet bullying, etc. The most vulnerable in our communities are often the victims of these crimes. Marijuana - The explosion of marijuana cases, particularly large commercial operations masquerading as medicinal marijuana grows and the growth of store front retail marijuana shops has taken more resources to prosecute. As just one recent example, an operation in the Bangor area was uncovered that was providing some 1200 pounds of processed marijuana to dispensaries in Sacramento and locations in Texas. Nearly $500,000 in cash was seized from this one operation alone to be used for one load scheduled to be shipped out of state. The huge amount of money involved in this marijuana trade has caused not only social but also environmental damage to our county. Department Budget DISTRICT ATTORNEY Actuals Adopted Requested Recommended Fines, Forfeits, Penalties 136, ,884 79,914 79,914 State Revenues 1,094, , , ,541 Federal Revenues 240, , , ,509 Other Governmental Revenues 118,758 58, , ,525 Charges For Services 1,028,113 1,308,904 1,261,722 1,261,722 Miscellaneous Revenues 39,379 68,061 37,957 37,957 Total Revenues $ 2,657,649 $ 2,537,211 $ 2,212,168 $ 2,212,168 Salaries and Employee Benefits 8,624,396 9,036,933 9,131,677 8,988,296 Services and Supplies 778, , , ,089 Other Charges 77,288 30,671 55,802 55,802 Fixed Assets - 37,439 29,438 29,438 Total Direct Expenditures $ 9,480,318 $ 10,070,580 $ 10,018,006 $ 9,874,625 Other Financing Uses 595, , , ,368 Total Expenditures $ 10,075,324 $ 10,441,528 $ 10,272,572 $ 10,148,993 Use of GPR/Restricted Fund Balance $ 7,417,675 $ 7,904,317 $ 8,060,404 $ 7,936, /12 Recommended Use of GPR $ 7,935, /12 Recommended Use of Restricted Fund Balance $ 1,253 [This space intentionally left blank] 126

3 Michael L. Ramsey, District Attorney District Attorney Department Summary Source of Funds (Revenues) General purpose revenue (GPR) from the General Fund is the biggest revenue source for the Department. Charges for services are the revenues from non-general Fund departments such as welfare and IHSS fraud investigations, child support investigations, and bad check program fees. State revenues include workers compensation and auto insurance fraud, vehicle theft crime programs, and DUI prosecution. Federal revenues are comprised of federal forfeiture and COPS funds. Other Govt. 1% Federal 2% Fines, Forfeits, Penalties 1% Recommended Source of Funds (Revenues) $10,148,993 Charges for Services 12% Other governmental revenues include funds for environmental prosecution and participation in the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force. Fines, forfeitures and penalties are real estate fraud prosecution fees and alcohol and drug lab fees, which would be more descriptively categorized as charges for services. State 6% Rest. Fund Balance <1% Misc. <1% GPR 78% Use of Funds (Expenditures) Salaries and benefits is the largest expenditure category for the Department. Services and supplies include maintenance of case management systems, lab services, specialized services, utilities, and travel costs. Other financing uses include costs for support services, which include Administration, Auditor, County Counsel, General Services, Human Resources, Information Systems and Treasurer. Salaries and Benefits 89% Recommended Use of Funds (Expenditures) $10,148,993 Services and Supplies 8% Other Charges <1% Fixed Assets <1% Other Financing Uses 3% Summary of Budget Request and Recommendations Salaries & Employee Benefits Requested The department budget request includes funding to maintain fiscal year staffing and operation levels. 127

4 Michael L. Ramsey, District Attorney District Attorney Department Summary The department budget request includes MOUs for staffing funded by subvention to assist other departments: welfare fraud investigations, in-home supportive services fraud investigations, child non-support investigations and Child Abduction Recovery, a state mandated program. The department budget request includes the deletion of one sunset Supervising Deputy District Attorney position. Recommended The recommendation includes the requested funding for salaries and benefits. Services & Supplies Requested Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Positions Adopted Position Allocation Adopted Position Allocation Adopted Position Allocation Adopted Position Allocation Current Position Allocation* Recommended Position Allocation *As of 4/12/11 The department budget request includes funding to maintain fiscal year services and supplies. The department maintained frugal spending in fiscal year All investigators are using their own cell phones with no expense to the county. Costs for blood sample draws and testing for drunken driving violations were negotiated at a significantly decreased amount. Other unavoidable cost increases were absorbed within the budget. Lastly, the department has managed to make enhancements to the case tracking system at nominal costs while rendering significant labor efficiencies and improved services. Recommended The recommendation includes the requested services and supplies. Fixed Assets Requested The department budget request does not include any fixed assets. Recommended The recommendation does not include any fixed assets. 128

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