Meet Deputy DA Christopher Chandler
In honor of Black History Month, which is celebrated throughout the month of February, the DA’s Office is featuring stories of employees and what inspired them to pursue a career in public service.
Meet Deputy District Attorney Christopher Chandler, who was born and raised in Missouri and grew up in a small town of Sain Joseph, located on the Missouri River. His family moved to Sacramento, California when he was 14 years old.
Before working at the DA’s Office, he worked for the General Counsel of the San Diego Regional Airport Authority, where he assisted the General Counsel with legal research, drafted legal pleadings, prepared discovery, wrote memoranda and assisted with public records requests. He also frequently accompanied and supported the General Counsel and staff attorneys when they advised the Airport Authority Board of Directors and airport staff on legal issues, federal regulations, employment law, and contractual issues.
Christopher has been with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office since 2008, when he was an intern assigned to the El Cajon Branch, then returned as a Graduate Law Clerk in 2009. In 2011, Christopher was officially hired as a Deputy District Attorney with our office and is currently assigned to the East County Branch as a Prelim Team Leader. In his current role, reviews and assigns all preliminary trials in the East County Branch, observes DDA’s in court and provides feedback, assists DDA’s in evaluating cases, and meets with DDA’s daily to discuss witness issues, legal issues, and evidentiary challenges in prelims. He also supports the prelim team by covering prelims, restitution hearings, review hearings, and sentencing hearings as needed. This is in addition to his own caseload that presently consists of a murder and an attempted murder. Separate from supporting the prelim team, he also supervises the East County Branch interns and graduate law clerks – reviewing their written work, observe and supervise their court appearances, and provide constructive feedback on their performance.
What inspired you to choose a career in law enforcement/at the DA’s Office?
“My mother indirectly inspired me to choose a career in public service at the DA’s Office. My mother worked in the community her whole life. She was first a community organizer who worked to provide resources to the community and connect families to affordable housing. Today, she runs a non-profit dedicated to promoting minority health and wellness and supports African American youth who aspire to have careers in healthcare. Watching my mother impact the lives of so many people in our community inspired me to help in my own way, I chose public service. Working at the DA’s Office gives me an opportunity to serve the public daily by working with law enforcement and victims of crime to promote public safety and make our community safer for everyone.”
What is your favorite part of the job?
“My favorite part of being a DA is working with the community. I really enjoy speaking with people from our community. As a team leader, I frequently get the opportunity to speak with victims, witnesses, and family members who have questions, seek restitution, are frustrated with the court process, or grieving the loss or injury of a loved one. I really enjoy sitting down and listening to people because so many of them just want to be heard. They often just want someone to acknowledge their frustration, listen to their pain, and try to do something to help them. I am fortunate that I get the opportunity to help people every week and I have a wonderful team of staff, victim advocates, paralegals, and investigators who are here to support them and provide help too. I also really enjoy supervising, mentoring, and supporting new attorneys and law students. It’s very rewarding to see students and young lawyers grow to be outstanding prosecutors who support our victims and are inspired to protect our community.”
What does Black History Month mean to you, why is it important to you?
“Black History Month is incredibly important to me for two reasons. First, the history of our nation is incredibly important to us all and Black history is American history. You can’t tell the full story of American history without describing the plight of Black Americans and other minorities who helped shape our society. Black History month allows us an opportunity to highlight significant historical contributions by black Americans to American culture, society, education, sports, music, and civil rights. Additionally, Black History Month shines a spotlight on important Black American historical figures whose tremendous contributions to American culture and society were often diminished, or even condemned, by the racism, segregation, or discrimination of their time. Second, Black History Month is an incredibly important cultural event. It provides an opportunity and a space for all Americans to gather, engage, network, learn, celebrate, and honor the cultural heritage of black Americans.”
Outside the office, Christopher participates in some really rewarding community organizations. He is the Southwest Regional Director of the National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA) – a national professional membership organization dedicated the training, education, and advancement of black prosecutors. Additionally, he is Secretary of the San Diego Earl B. Gilliam Bar Foundation (EBGBF) – a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to represent the interests of the African American legal community by providing scholarships to law students, and assisting, educating, and empowering African American legal professionals.
