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DA’s Office Centralizes Charge Evaluations
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The District Attorney’s Office yesterday announced that it has launched a centralized charge evaluation system to ensure county-wide consistency in filing decisions.
District Attorney George Gascón commented:
“We’re centralizing the decision-making process to ensure that the same conduct leads to similar results regardless of where a crime occurs in Los Angeles County. Consistency in the initial case evaluation and filing is essential to achieving equal justice for all people in our county.”
As of last Monday, a press release relates, a centralized system has been used in the downtown Los Angeles, the East Los Angeles, Van Nuys and Antelope Valley courthouses. It says there is a target date of January for extending the system to the Compton, Pomona, El Monte, West Covina, San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Torrance and Inglewood courthouses, with the Airport, Long Beach, Norwalk, Bellflower, Downey, Metro, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank and Alhambra courthouses to be hooked by around March 1.
Family violence and community violence cases will continue to be evaluated by specialized units, such as the Reduction divisions, according to the announcement.
Deputies evaluate 6oughly 680 cases a day that are presented for filing consideration by law enforcement agencies, the office reported.
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