DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 08-15-24

In this week’s DA News Update, DA Summer Stephan alerts victims of the Santana High School shooting about the upcoming parole hearing scheduled for the shooter. She also talks about the importance of victims’ rights, including their right to participate in parole hearings.

Photo of the Hall of Justice building with text overlay that reads: 5 things you should know about the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.

5 THINGS About the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

In this video, District Attorney Summer Stephan shares FIVE THINGS you should know about the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office:

  1. The DA’s Office is responsible for prosecuting felony crimes committed in San Diego County.
  2. The DA’s Office also prosecutes misdemeanor offenses that occur outside the City of San Diego – since the City of San Diego has a City Attorney that prosecutes their misdemeanors.
  3. The DA’s Office is the LARGEST provider of victim services in the county, in fact last year, in 2023, our Victim Assistance Program assisted 10,379 victims of crime.
  4. Each year, the more than 300 prosecutors in the DA’s Office file about 40,000 criminal cases on behalf of the county’s nearly 3.3 million residents.
  5. Part of our mission is also to prevent crime by partnering with the community to create initiatives that help promote public safety and participating in collaborative courts that hold offenders accountable but divert them to programs and treatment that stop the cycle of recidivism.

You can learn more about what we are doing on our website SanDiegoDA.com or follow us on social media!

DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 08-01-24

In this week’s DA News Update, DA Summer Stephan talks about an important community event to prevent human trafficking as well as her new role as the President of the National District Attorneys Association.

A Day on the Job of an Investigative Specialist

Investigative Specialists have an important job to do for the DA’s Office, they are in charge of serving subpoenas, researching and interviewing witnesses that are necessary for obtaining justice when prosecuting cases. See what a day on the job is like for an Investigative Specialist, in this video.

DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 07-11-24

In this week’s DA News Update, DA Summer Stephan talks about a new ballot initiative to help reduce retail theft, homelessness and treat drug addiction. She also provides quick tips to avoid purse snatchers targeting elderly women.

 

New Billboard Features Victims of Fentanyl Poisoning

On Saturday, DA Summer Stephan joined dozens of parents and family members who have lost a loved one to a fentanyl overdose. These parents and family members have sponsored a new billboard in Lakeside featuring the faces of their loved ones to raise awareness about the dangers of illicit fentanyl and prevent more deaths. Watch more in this video.

DA Summer Stephan speaks at a podium with city, county and state leaders standing behind her.

DA Collaborates with City Attorney’s Casa Mariposa Domestic Violence Shelter

On Friday, June 21, 2024, District Attorney Summer Stephan joined San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott and Senator Toni Atkins to celebrate the arrival of a new shelter option for families who are fleeing domestic violence. The Casa Mariposa Domestic Violence Shelter will offer survivors the services they need to get their lives back on track and ensure they do not fall into homelessness when they leave their abusers. Both the City’s Your Safe Place and the County’s One Safe Place (North County Family Justice Center) Family Justice Centers will make referrals to Casa Mariposa, operated by SBCS (formerly South Bay Community Services). A large percentage of unsheltered women were victims of domestic violence — physical, psychological, and sexual — before becoming homeless. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, visit sandiego.gov/yoursafeplace or go to onesafeplacenorth.org for help.

A group of people stand by a podium on stage.

11 Graduate from Drug Court!

Drug Court is one of the Collaborative Courts the DA’s Office participates in. The program turns lives around for those whose addiction led to a criminal history. The program is not easy, but it ends with a graduation celebrating the participants’ success in completing the required treatment instead of being incarcerated. Meet some of this year’s graduates in this video.

 

DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 06-06-24

In this week’s DA News, District Attorney Summer Stephan talks about filing murder charges in a Fentanyl overdose death case and an important educational outreach campaign to protect kids in San Diego County.

Family photo of Victim Assistance Program Supervisor Annamarie Francisco.

AAPI: Meet VAP Supervisor Annamarie Francisco

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is observed throughout the month of May, we are featuring stories of DA employees, what inspired them to pursue a career in public service and their contributions at the DA’s Office. In this video, you will meet Victim Assistance Program Supervisor Annamarie Francisco, whose passion for helping victims comes from a long line of public service in her family.