Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has announced that he has hired four new prosecutors to add capacity to investigating and resolving cases involving a firearm — particularly homicides.

The new hires come just weeks after the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office (MCDA) received temporary funding from the County for this explicit purpose following a joint announcement with county leaders. The $1 million investment adds 4 prosecutors and 2 investigators to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. The search for the added investigator positions is still underway.

The volume of homicides this year has quickly outweighed the resources that the DA office has to handle resolving them.

“The families and loved ones of those we’ve lost over the last three years simply cannot wait for progress any longer. "DA Mike Schmidt said. "Our office, in partnership with the County, has met this need with urgency. Help is on the way.”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In addition to added prosecutorial and investigative capacity, DA Schmidt and the County have emphasized an all-hands-on-deck approach, declaring the surge in community violence as a public health crisis.

Recently, DA Mike Schmidt has declared that he will avoid prosecuting many far-left AntiFa rioters, so the anouncement of these hirings seems like putting the cart before the horse to some observers.

The County has added two new deputies to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office focusing on family protection orders and dispossession of firearms and ammunition when court-ordered.

“I’ve been to seven call-outs this year. Our escalating caseloads are also compounded by court backlogs due to the pandemic. New prosecutors mean more time can be devoted to individual cases and means more people who can be called upon to help when a life is lost,” said MCDA prosecutor Kate Molina.

All four new prosecutors will start full-time by early December.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-11-16 16:40:51

Last Update: 2021-11-16 17:10:00