Washington County Attorney’s Office—2018 Annual Report 7 Criminal Division Understanding that the criminal justice system is disproportionally devoting traditional criminal justice remedies to low level drug users (addicts, not dealers) and understanding that jail time does little good for the addict, the office has developed a two tiered drug diversion program for these users. In the diversion program the emphasis is on treatment and developing a sense of personal accountability. Successful candidates come out of the criminal justice system clean from drugs and on the road to a fruitful life, and without a criminal record. We liaison on the investigative level not only with our local police agencies but also with the Financial Crimes Task Force, the Commerce Department Investigations Division, the Retail Crimes Task Force and the Office of Special Investigations in the Department of Corrections, in addition to our ongoing liaison with the East Metro Drug Task Force. We have also set up and successfully run one of the very few human trafficking task forces in the nation. Washington County is home to Minnesota’s two (2) maximum security prisons, Stillwater and Oak Park Heights. 2018 saw a large spike in criminal prosecutions from the prisons. Correctional officers have an extraordinarily difficult job to do. This office places a high priority on cases involving inmate attacks on correctional officers. The criminal division has also continued to provide extensive training to local police agencies and our sheriff’s office. The value of providing police training to law enforcement agencies can be measured in the quality of the cases presented to our office for prosecution. Additionally, it serves to strengthen our relationships with all of the law enforcement departments and their individual officers. We have provided fifty three (53) hours of police training in 2018 to a total of over 3000 police officer attendees from all around the state and 58 hours of prosecutor training to 1200 prosecutors. Attorneys Imran Ali Marc Berris Tom Frenette Nick Hydukovich Ben Lacy Kevin Mueller Jesse Seabrooks II Tom Wedes Siv Yurichuk Victim/Witness Coordinators Jolleen Chaika Christine VonDeLinde Linda Wikoff Kathy Woxland Paralegals Jean Mersch Aimee Schroeder Legal Assistants Jamie Cole Kelley Doolan Pam Hughes Caitlin Ohlrogge Celina Postelli Brandi Tellijohn