Department Goals

• To increase the speed in which cases and warrants are processed in the DA’s Office
• To prosecute violent crime aggressively
• To re-assess and improve the focus and outcomes of Juvenile Court prosecution
• To improve customer service and community relations
• To re-organize the organizational structure of the DA’s Office to be leaner and more cost efficient

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Overview of the DA's Office

ABOUT THE OFFICE:
The mission of the DA's Office is to prosecute criminals aggressively, seek justice for victims of crimes and advocate for the rights of victims, in an ethical and effective manner. The DA's Office is committed to working with other law enforcement officials and governmental agencies, local community organizations, the faith community and the private sector to strengthen crime prevention efforts in Chatham County.

The District Attorney's Office includes 41 attorneys, along with a full complement of professional and administrative staff who support the following divisions and offices:

• Superior Court - (Major Crimes & Other Felonies Divisions)
• Early Intervention Program(EIP)
• State Court
• Juvenile Court
• Criminal Investigation Bureau
• Victim-Witness Assistance Program
• Child Support Services
• Public Information Office

SUPERIOR COURT
The Superior Court team handles the prosecution of felony cases in both the Major Crimes Division (MCD) & Other Felonies Division (OFD) and consists of the following Assistant District Attorneys:

• Chief Assistant District Attorney – Greg McConnell, who supervises the Superior Court team
• Twelve Assistant District Attorneys assigned to six Judges
• Two Assistant District Attorneys assigned to the Chatham County Counter Narcotics Team (CNT)
• Two Assistant District Attorneys assigned to the Office of Child Support Services

EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EIP)
The EIP division is staffed by three Assistant District Attorneys who work to improve the processing and resolution of felony warrants and is led by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Tom Cerbone and consists of:

STATE COURT
The State Court is responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor cases in State Court and Recorder's Court. The State Court prosecution team is led by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Andre Pretorius and consists of:

• Six Assistant District Attorneys assigned to three Judges
• One Assistant District Attorney assigned to DUI Court and DUI Recorder’s Court

State Court Assistant District Attorneys also attend court cases for misdemeanors in three municipalities:

• Bloomingdale
• Thunderbolt
• Tybee Island

JUVENILE COURT
The Juvenile Court team is responsible for prosecuting felony and misdemeanor cases involving juveniles. The Juvenile Court team is also responsible for prosecuting truancy, runaway and other ungovernable offenses by juveniles. The team is led by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Diane McLeod. There are four Attorneys assigned to three Juvenile Court Judges.

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BUREAU
The Criminal Investigation Bureau plays a critical role in the processing of cases through their ability to investigate and provide evidence on cases presented by the District Attorney's Office. The bureau is led by Chief Criminal Investigator Ricky Becker, and includes 12 investigators, who are sworn law enforcement personnel. The investigators are divided into divisions to increase investigative expertise and support for processing cases in Superior Court, State Court and Child Support Services.

VICTIM-WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
This program provides a variety of free services to crime victims, witnesses and their families, including case information, courtroom orientation, referrals to community agencies and assistance with applying for financial compensation.

VWAP staff is available from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, (except official holidays) or by appointment, and can be reached at 912-652-7329 or 1-800-477-5959. The Victim-Witness Assistance Program is led by Director Cheryl Rogers and is funded primarily by the Chatham County Commission. To learn more about this program, visit the VWAP web site

OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES
The Office of Child Support Services is a division of the District Attorney’s Office which processes all child support cases and enforces child support orders, including the prosecution of child support violators.

The Child Support Services Office is located at 222 W. Oglethorpe Ave. and is open from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, except holidays. The office is led by Child Support Services Director Tracey Erwin.

For more information, call the Child Support Information Line at (877) 423-4746.