The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is the largest prosecuting agency in Northern California. The Office represents the law enforcement needs of Santa Clara County, also known as "Silicon Valley," which has a population exceeding 1,700,000 residents in fifteen cities, including San Jose and unincorporated areas. The District Attorney's Office handles over 45,000 cases a year. The Office has a staff of nearly 500 people, including attorneys, investigators, forensic analysts, paralegals, clerical workers and volunteers. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Crime Laboratory analyzes thousands of evidence items each year.

DEPARTMENTS/DIVISIONS

• AIDS Litigation Unit 
  Ensures that AIDS search warrants or court orders are obtained upon the request of crime victims in a sensitive and timely manner.
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• Arson/Bomb Unit 
  Prosecutes cases involving arson and/or bombs.
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• Asset Forfeiture Unit 
  Handles cases in which personal property has been seized as a result of a search warrant.
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• Bad Check Restitution Program 
  Collects restitution for victims who have received bad checks.
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• Bureau of Investigation 
  Provides law enforcement support to prosecutors.
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• Burglary/Theft and Assault Team 
  Prosecutes general felony crimes of burglary, theft and assault that are set for trial.
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• Business Services Division 
  Responsible for business aspects of operating the District Attorney's Office.
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• Career Criminal Unit 
  Prosecutes felonies committed by serious repeat offenders. Unit attorneys handle the majority of the "Three-Strikes" cases filed in Santa Clara County.
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• Child Abduction Unit of the Family Violence Division 
  Investigates and prosecutes cases of children abducted by non-custodial parents. Enforces custody and visitation orders.
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• Child Physical Abuse, Endangerment and Neglect Unit of the Family Violence Division 
  Prosecutes criminal cases involving physical abuse and neglect of children, elders and dependent adults. Includes neglect in nursing homes, schools and hospitals.
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• Child Sexual Assault Team 
  Prosecutes crimes of sexual assault on child victims.
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• Cold Case Unit
  Provides assistance to local police agencies in the investigation of unsolved homicides within Santa Clara County. 
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• Community Prosecution Unit 
  Works in the local communities with local residents, businesses and agencies to reshape community conditions.
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• Complaint Unit 
  Authorizes formal criminal charges for filing in court on general crimes cases.
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• Consumer Protection Unit 
  Takes complaints and answers questions about businesses engaging in unfair/unlawful practices.
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• Discovery Unit 
  Provides copies of police reports to defendants (persons charged with crimes) and their attorneys of record.
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• DNA Compliance Unit 
  Monitors DNA sampling at the local level seeking to ensure 100% compliance.
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• Domestic Violence Unit of the Family Violence Division 
  Prosecutes abuse/violence committed by an adult or emancipated minor who is in or has had a relationship with the abuser, whether married or not.
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• Elder Fraud Unit 
  Prosecutes financial crimes against the elderly. Includes forged checks, unauthorized use of credit cards and embezzlement.
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• Elder and Dependant Adult, Physical Abuse, Endangerment and Neglect Unit of the Family Violence Division 
  Prosecutes criminal cases involving physical abuse and neglect of children, elders, and dependant adults, including neglect in nursing homes, schools and hospitals.
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• Environmental Protection Unit 
  Enforces laws intended to protect our community from environmental hazards.
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• Family Violence Division
  Prosecutes crimes of domestic violence; physical abuse, endangerment and neglect of children, elders and dependent adults; and child abduction.
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• Forensic Mental Issues Unit 
  Handles civil commitments and re-commitment proceedings involving sexually violent predators (P.C. 6600 et. seq.); mentally disordered sex offenders (W&I 6316.2); mentally disordered offenders (P.C. 2970 et. seq.) and the criminally insane (P.C. 1026.2 and 1026.5).
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• Gang Unit 
  Prosecutes gang related felony offenses including homicides.
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• Governmental Integrity Unit 
  Enforces proper collection and reporting of campaign contributions; prosecutes crimes committed by public officials and employees while acting in their official capacity.
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• Grand Jury - Criminal 
  Hears exclusively felony criminal matters, often complex in nature.
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• Hate Crimes Team 
  Prosecutes cases of various crimes of violence against a person or property.
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• High-Technology Crimes Unit 
  Prosecutes cases of auction fraud, identity theft, internet crimes, theft/sale of trade secrets or electronic items.
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• Homicide Unit
  Prosecutes murder cases that occur in Santa Clara County and other selected cases that involve violent crimes or complex conspiracies.
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• Insurance Fraud Unit 
  Prosecutes and investigates auto insurance fraud and workers' compensation fraud.
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• Juvenile Dependency Unit 
  Represents children who are hurt or neglected by their parents or caretakers.
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• Juvenile Wards Division 
  Responsible for reviewing and prosecuting juvenile delinquents.
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• Laboratory of Criminalistics 
  Evaluates and analyzes evidence, interprets results and provides testimony related to the evidence. Offers technical assistance and training to all user agencies.
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• Lifer Hearings Unit 
  Attends parole hearings held for life prisoners convicted out of this county at prison facilities throughout the state who have reached their minimum parole eligibility dates.
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• Major Fraud Unit 
  Prosecutes cases involving serious/complex fraud known as "white collar" crimes where the dollar value exceeds $100,000.
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• Mediation Services 
  Handles consumer disputes with businesses by bringing the parties together for resolution.
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• Media Relations Department
  Provides information to the media about matters that are pending in the criminal justice system.  Processes the news releases, answers questions and provides interviews in profile cases of public interest.
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• Misdemeanor Trial Team 
  Prosecutes misdemeanor cases that occur in the central part of the county. This includes San Jose, Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Campbell and Milpitas.
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• Motions/Writs/Appeals Team 
  Responsible for filing opposition briefs; response briefs; handles People's appeals; findings of factual innocence; writs of Habeas Corpus; traffic conviction apeals.
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• Narcotics Team 
  Prosecutes cases of narcotic violations including Proposition 36 and Major Vendor cases.
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• Physical Abuse of Children and Elders Unit of the Family Violence Division 
  Prosecutes criminal cases involving physical abuse and neglect of children, elders and dependent adults. Includes neglect in nursing homes, schools and hospitals.
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• Preliminary Hearing Unit 
  Handles the prosecution of general felony matters before trial.
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• Probation Violation Unit 
  Handles the probation violations of felony matters.
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• Public Assistance Fraud Unit 
  Prosecutes criminal cases involving theft of public assistance money.
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• Public Information Services 
  Provides information to victims of crimes. Answers questions about the criminal justice system.
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• Real Estate Fraud Unit 
  Prosecutes crimes involving real estate documents and transactions.
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• Records Unit 
  Provides specific information to defendants, attorneys of record, witnesses, victims, and guardians of victims.
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• Restitution Services 
  Assists victims of crime in obtaining compensation for medical and/or dental losses; counseling for victims and family members; relocation.
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• Sex Registration 
  Prosecutes crimes of failure to register as a sex offender with the police departments as ordered.
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• Sexual Assault Team 
  Prosecutes crimes of sexual assault on adult and child victims.
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• Stalking Unit of the Family Violence Division 
  Prosecutes crimes of stalking.
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• Truancy Abatement Team 
  Works with schools and parents on truants and tries to reach agreements to improve attendance.
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• Victims Rights Coordinator 
  Provides contact and support for victims of sexual assault to minimize the trauma of court proceedings and the aftermath of the assault.
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For More Information Please Contact:

Dolores Carr
70 W. Hedding Street, West Wing
District Attorney
San Jose, CA 95110
Fax: (408) 287-5076
Phone: (408) 299-3099

Marc Buller
Chief Assistant District Attorney
Phone: (408) 792-2770

Stephen Gibbons
Assistant District Attorney
Phone: (408) 792-2570

David Howe
Assistant District Attorney
Phone: (408) 792-2633

Rolanda Pierre-Dixon
Assistant District Attorney
Phone: (408) 792-2533

Karyn Sinunu-Towery
Assistant District Attorney
Phone: (408) 792-2702

David Tomkins
Assistant District Attorney
Phone: (408) 792-2792

• Palo Alto Branch Office
• South County Branch Office
• Sunnyvale Branch Office