Under DA Schmidt, the DA’s Office continues its core function of prosecuting felony and misdemeanor crimes, while also prioritizing evidence-based reforms to yield better public safety outcomes in the long-term. The overall prosecution rate in Multnomah County for 2023 is 72% – this prosecution rate is at a seven-year high.

Recognizing that there are specific categories of crime with recent increases, DA Schmidt has committed to focusing resources on those crimes with the deepest impacts to communities.

Gun Violence

DA Schmidt and his administration are rising to meet the challenge of increased gun violence in Multnomah County. The DA’s office is partnering with local law enforcement, as well as state and federal partners, to work collaboratively to hold those perpetrating such violence accountable. The DA’s Office is also working with community and other government partners to better understand the biggest drivers of gun violence so we can address the root causes at the same time as we tackle the outcomes. Some specific areas of focus for DA Schmidt are:

• Ensuring ongoing funding for Deputy DAs to focus specifically on gun violence.
  • DA Schmidt successfully advocated for county funding to backfill two Deputy DA and two Investigator positions that were previously funded by the American Rescue Plan. These positions are solely dedicated to gun violence cases. 
• Preventing gun violence through a public health approach.
  • DA Schmidt partnered with OHSU to create the Multnomah County Gun Violence Review Commission. Funded through a grant from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, the group will take a comprehensive data-driven public health approach to gun violence prevention.
• Confronting our gun problem through sensible regulation.
  • DA Schmidt and his administration supported HB 2005 (2023), which establishes criminal penalties for possessing, manufacturing, or selling ghost guns. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms estimates that the presence of ghost guns has increased by 1,000% since 2017.

Auto Theft

Recognizing the acute impacts that auto theft has on our communities – especially on working families – DA Schmidt launched an Auto Theft Task Force in July 2023. Led by a Deputy DA and a DA Investigator, the Task Force is a collaboration with local law enforcement to reduce auto theft through improved investigations, case preparation, law enforcement training, prosecutions, and community outreach aimed at vehicle theft prevention. 

Organized Retail Theft

Retail theft – and especially organized retail theft – is a real issue facing our business community, and this office has made addressing it a priority. In July 2023, DA Schmidt launched the Organized Retail Theft Task Force. Led by a Deputy DA and a DA Investigator, the Task Force is a collaboration with law enforcement and retailers to address barriers to tackling retail crime, including improved strategies to address the most prolific offenders, training on loss reduction and investigative work, and case preparation. 

In addition, DA Schmidt advocated for the passage of SB 340 (2023), which will allow the DA’s Office to appropriately aggregate theft incidents to reflect the real harm being caused by chronic, professional thieves. These aren’t small-time shoplifters – these are the defendants who are doing this day in and day out, crossing county lines and switching up their victims because they know that under existing law, it was very hard to prosecute the full extent of the theft involved. With Senate Bill 340, we’ve closed that loophole.

Bias Crimes

Hate and discrimination have no place in Oregon. DA Schmidt is committed to prosecuting and holding people accountable who commit bias crimes, which can have devastating ripple effects on our communities. In 2023, MCDA received a federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program to fund a bias crimes prosecutor and a bias crimes investigator. Together, they are working on increased investigations, community outreach, education, and overall efforts to overcome barriers to identifying, reporting, and prosecuting bias crimes.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is not a private matter, but a serious, preventable public health epidemic that affects millions of Americans. DA Schmidt is committed to prosecuting DV cases and helping victims get the services they need. In addition, MCDA was selected by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) as a pilot site for establishing locally tailored diversion programs for criminalized survivors of gender-based violence. MCDA will partner with Bradley Angle to provide services that create alternative pathways in lieu of traditional prosecution for criminalized survivors to address underlying trauma.