The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County, California.
Some misdemeanor crimes are prosecuted by local city attorneys. City attorneys prosecute minor misdemeanors and infractions that are violations of the municipal code governing the incorporated cities (e.g. Los Angeles) within the county.
Organization[]
Ranks[]
- District Attorney
- Chief Deputy District Attorney
- Assistant District Attorney
- Director
- Head Deputy (District Attorney)
- Assistant Head Deputy (District Attorney)
- Deputy-in-Charge
- Deputy District Attorney
Titles[]
Deputy District Attorney's and civilian personnel may also have additional roles and responsibilites, including:
- Assistant Program Administrator
- Supervising Victim Services Representative
- Supervisor
- Coordinator
Headquarters[]
The Office is headed by the District Attorney with help from the Chief Deputy District Attorney.
Answering directly to the District Attorney are the Law Enforcement Liaison, Community Liaison, and Communications Director.
Answering directly to the Chief Deputy District Attorney are the Special Counsel, Legislative Advocates, Professional Responsibility Advisor, Grand Jury Advisor, and the Bureau of Investigation.
Line Operations[]
LADA Line Operations, headed by an Assistant District Attorney, is responsible for supervising the geographical areas of LADA which prosecute felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within their geographical areas and which do not fall under the jurisdiction of another specialized division.
Central Operations[]
Central Operations is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by a Head Deputy with the help of an Assistant Head Deputy: Administration, Charge Evaluation, Central Trials 11, Central Trials 13, Central Trials 15, and Mental Health.
Branch & Area Operations Region I[]
Branch & Area Operations Region I is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by a Head Deputy with the help of an Assistant Head Deputy: Airport, Antelope Valley, Pasadena, San Fernando, Torrance, and Van Nuys.
All geographical areas also have a Deputy-in-Charge who is in charge of the Victim Impact Program in that area.
Branch & Area Operations Region II[]
Branch & Area Operations Region II is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by a Head Deputy with the help of an Assistant Head Deputy: Compton, Long Beach, Norwalk, and Pomona.
All geographical areas also have a Deputy-in-Charge who is in charge of the Victim Impact Program in that area.
Special Operations[]
LADA Special Operations, headed by an Assistant District Attorney, is responsible for supervising the specialized prosecutional operations of the Office.
Specialized Prosecutions[]
Specialized Prosecutions is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by a Head Deputy with the help of an Assistant Head Deputy: Juvenile, Target Crimes, Crimes Against Peace Officers, Family Violence, Hardcore Gang, Major Crimes, Major Narcotics, Murder Resentencing, and Sex Crimes.
LADA Major Crimes Division[]
While never explicitly stated, it's presumed that all of the DDA's that appear on The Closer and Major Crimes are assigned to the Major Crimes Division of the LADA although they also are seen prosecuting cases which would normally fall under the jurisdiction of other divisions.
The Major Crimes Division is responsible for prosecuting violent crimes which occur within LA County, including (but not limited to): homicides, attempted homicides, voluntary and involuntary manslaughters, rapes, and kidnappings.
- Deputy District Attorney Martin Garnett (James Patrick Stuart): A DDA who often butts heads with Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson over his willingness to only try cases that he is sure that he can win. After defense attorney Phillip Stroh turned out to be the serial rapist they were looking for, Garnett was humiliated as he had been tricked into revealed that they had nothing on Stroh, allowing Stroh to walk free. (The Closer, Season 2 to Season 4)
- Deputy District Attorney Claire Baldwin (Amanda Mason Warren): A DDA who works with the LAPD's Major Crimes Division following the Turrell Baylor case and lawsuit. Often annoys the detectives by following them around and giving them orders, but it is revealed to be part of a deal made to keep Major Crimes following the lawsuit. (The Closer, Season 7)
- Deputy District Attorney Andrea Hobbs (Kathe Mazur): The DDA who works most frequently with the LAPD's Major Crimes Division, Hobbs is a team player. (The Closer: Season 5, Season 6, and Season 7; Major Crimes).
- Deputy District Attorney Emma Rios (Nadine Velazquez): A new, inexperienced DDA under Hobbs' supervision, she is charged with preparing the case against Phillip Stroh. Served as the DDA on several cases while preparing Rusty Beck for the trial, but apparently reassigned after the death of Wade Weller aside from the Stroh case. Returned briefly when Stroh offered a deal to orchestrate his escape. Murdered by Stroh in 2017 following his return to Los Angeles (Major Crimes, Season 2, Season 3, Season 6).
- Deputy District Attorney Ozzy Michaels: DDA that worked with the Major Crimes Division for a brief time after Captain Sharon Raydor takes over. (Major Crimes, Season 1)
- Deputy District Attorney Meeks: DDA that works with the Major Crimes Division a few times after Captain Sharon Raydor takes over. (Major Crimes, Season 1, Season 4)
- Deputy District Attorney Rachel Gray: An experienced DDA that worked with the LAPD in 2004. DDA in the murder trial surrounding Officer Malcolm Reese and one of the three victims in the "Reese Murders" that went unsolved for twelve years. (Major Crimes, Hindsight)
- Deputy District Attorney Barry Rosen: DDA in charge of prosecuting Dwight Darnell for murdering six mixed-race couples and two children and also of connecting Dwight to the Zyklon Brotherhood. Murdered by Dwight during a courtroom shooting orchestrated by Martin Borja to prevent Rosen from connecting Dwight to him (Major Crimes, “Dead Zone” to “White Lies, Part 1”).
Fraud & Corruption Prosecutions[]
Fraud & Corruption Prosecutions is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by a Head Deputy with the help of an Assistant Head Deputy: Auto Insurance Fraud, Consumer Protection, Environmental Crimes, Healthcare Fraud, Cyber Crime, Justice System Integrity, Organized Crime, Public Assistance Fraud, Public Integrity, and White Collar Crime.
Prosecution Support Operations[]
Prosecution Support Operations is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by a Head Deputy with the help of an Assistant Head Deputy: Writs and Appeals, Parole, and Post-Conviction Litigation & Discovery.
Administration[]
LADA Administration, headed by an Assistant District Attorney, is responsible for supervising the administrative and support functions of the Office.
Bureau of Victim Services[]
The Bureau of Victim Services is headed by a Director and is comprised of the following divisions, all headed by an Assistant Program Administrator: Direct Service Operations 1, Direct Service Operations 2, Direct Service Operations 3, Victim Services K-9, and Claims Verifications. All of the divisions are divided into multiple Regions and/or Units which are headed by Supervising Victim Services Representatives.
As a whole, the Bureau of Victim Services is responsible for providng the LADA and the citizens of LA County victim services representatives, who assist and guide crime victims through the criminal justice system.
Administrative Services[]
Administrative Services is headed by a Director with the help of an Assistant Director. It is comprised of the following divisions: Budget & Fiscal Services, Human Resources, Property Management & Support Services, and Systems.
Employee Relations[]
Employee Relations is headed by a Director and it's responsible for representing the LADA on matters pertaining to employee relations, investigating and resolving grievance matters and submitting reports to the grievant and the involved union representative, and serving as official liaison between department management and employee organizations and their representatives or counsels.
Training Division[]
Answering directly to the Assistant District Attorney of Administration, the Training Division is comprised of the DUI Training and Prosecution Section, Forensic Science Section and Recruitment Section, all headed by a Deputy-in-Charge.
District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation[]
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office (LADA) Bureau of Investigation (BOI) has employed detectives to investigate and/or assist in the prosecution of criminal cases since at least 1891. Currently the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation has approximately 300 peace officers and it is the county’s fourth largest law enforcement agency.
The Bureau functions primarily to provide prosecution support to Deputy District Attorneys. It also has substantially staffed units with original jurisdictional responsibilities such as investigating local government corruption, complex frauds, and organized crime syndicates. Its staff also assists other law enforcement agencies with vehicular and electronic surveillance, undercover operations and photographic services.
Ranks of the BOI[]
Chief | |
Deputy Chief | |
Captain | |
Lieutenant | |
Sergeant | |
Senior Investigator | |
Investigator |
Organization of the BOI[]
The Bureau of Investigation is directed by a Chief, who is appointed by the District Attorney. Aiding the Chief is a Deputy Chief, who is also appointed by the District Attorney. The Chief of BOI answers to to the District Attorney through the Chief Deputy District Attorney.
There are five divisions in the agency, each commanded by a Captain, which are further divided into sections, each headed by a Lieutenant.
The divisions of the BOI are:
- Administrative Division
- Criminal Division
- Fraud and Corruption Division
- Special Operations Division
- Specialized Fraud Division
BOI in the Major Crimes Universe[]
In the last episode of The Closer, "The Last Word", Brenda Leigh Johnson leaves the Los Angeles Police Department for a job as Chief of the Bureau of Investigation. She also took David Gabriel with her to act as a liaison officer to the LAPD.
In the "Hindsight" arc of Major Crimes, one of the murder victims in the "Reese Murders" is DA Investigator Eric Dunn who was acting as a bodyguard for DDA Rachel Gray during the murder trial of Daniel Price. Both were shot to death during the Price trial, ultimately determined to be killed by Eric's own wife Stephanie Dunn due to Eric and Rachel's affair.