Washington County Attorney’s Office—2018 Annual Report 6 Criminal Division “We strive everyday to bring a higher quality of justice to Washington County residents.” The Criminal Division of the Washington County Attorney’s Office consists of the Division Chief and nine (9) assistant county attorneys responsible for the prosecution of all felonies committed in the county, as well as misdemeanors committed in those municipalities without municipal attorneys. The division commits an attorney to handle all appeals in which the office is involved, whether civil or criminal cases. This office has long implemented an aggressive methodology to ensure a timely decision-making process on requests for charges, such that a decision to charge, to decline a case, or to refer a case for further investigation results in these decisions being handled in an expedited manner. The public and, particularly, victims of crime are much better served as a result of this expeditious turnaround of cases. This policy was implemented in 2011. Since then the average time between when a case file entering the office and a decision on charging/declining/referring has steadily become quicker. By the end of 2018 the average time for these decisions to be made were seven (7) days from their submission. We operate under a vertical system of prosecution. This means that the prosecutor that charges the case will handle the case all the way through trial. A specific victim witness coordinator and legal assistant are also assigned to team with each prosecutor. This ensures a consistency of handling cases through resolution. Since 2014 there has been a significant increase in felony referrals, misdemeanor citations handled and felony complaints issued by the office. In addition, the cases being prosecuted by the office, e.g. identity theft, racketeering, and organized retail theft often require much more preparation and study than cases we had traditionally received before Washington County grew so quickly. As a result of our concentration on cases that are complex, or involving career criminals and violent offenses and an emphasis on negotiating more minor cases well in advance of the trial date, we have fewer cases calendared for jury trial. Those cases that do reach the jury calendar are either tried to a jury or the defendant must enter a straight guilty plea with no agreement as to sentencing. A designated prosecutor from our office meets on a weekly basis with the Washington County Drug Task Force going over case investigations to ensure the integrity of the process and to make certain there ultimately will be successful prosecutions in not just drug cases but in cases of dealers causing drug overdose deaths. In the latter type of case, the prosecutor gets involved in the investigative phase so as to ensure the maximum odds of a successful prosecution. Criminal Division Chief Fred Fink