THE NEIGHBORHOOD PROSECUTOR PROGRAM

City Attorney Delgadillo, Councilmember Pacheco, and the Neighborhood Prosecutor Team

The Neighborhood Prosecutor Program was created to advance the City Attorney's goal of making Los Angeles a safer City through crime prevention and the effective prosecution of criminals. The program is driven by the understanding that the ability to respond to neighborhood complaints and address criminal problems proactively is critical to preserving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers throughout the criminal justice system agree that when minor acts of civic disorder continue unchecked, a corresponding increase in serious crime inevitably occurs. The Neighborhood Prosecutor Program aims to identify, prioritize, and address criminal problems proactively before they are able to grow into serious offenses and larger problems that can lead to urban decay in our communities.

Under the program, Deputy City Attorneys assigned to each of the Los Angeles Police Department's 19 divisions serve as a Neighborhood Prosecutor for the communities within that division. To facilitate their ties to the communities they serve, the Neighborhood Prosecutors will be located in those communities, either in City Attorney Branch offices, Constituent Services Centers, LAPD stations, or other City facilities. Each Neighborhood Prosecutor, assisted by a paralegal or legal assistant, will work closely with community groups and police officers to identify and address criminal problems within the assigned area. The Neighborhood Prosecutors will identify and refer nuisance abatement cases to the existing Citywide Nuisance Abatement Program (CNAP) and will also pursue criminal prosecution of those quality of life offenses that the community has identified as significant problems. In addition, the Neighborhood Prosecutors will work with community groups and city agencies to formulate non-criminal remedies that address the underlying roots of the community's criminal problems.