There are 75 attorneys and approximately 125 support staff working on behalf of the citizens of Denver. Under the leadership of Denver District Attorney Mitchell R. Morrissey, the office maintains two priorities: prosecuting criminals to the fullest extent possible, and protecting the rights and interests of innocent victims.

To accomplish this, the District Attorney's Office has more than a dozen different divisions and special programs:

The County Court Division handles 17,000 cases each year including alcohol related traffic offenses, an extensive case load of third-degree assault cases and domestic violence cases. The deputy district attorneys in this division are responsible for prosecutions in five County Court courtrooms.

The District Court Division handles all felony cases, except those routed to specialized crime units. There are seven criminal divisions and each courtroom includes a team of two deputy district attorneys, a legal secretary, a victim advocate and an investigator. There is a third deputy district attorney who floats between two courts. Most importantly, a case is supervised from preliminary hearing through to sentencing by the same district court team.

Family Violence Unit screens, files and prosecutes cases involving all aspects of domestic violence, including spouse abuse, partner abuse, elderly and child abuse as well as child sexual assault. The staff in this division have specialized knowledge and training in the area of family violence.

Economic Crime Unit investigates and prosecutes identity theft crimes, consumer fraud, embezzlement, financial crimes, and so-called "complex" crimes. The Economic Crime Unit works hard to prevent fraud through consumer education, and also is an integral part of preventing crimes against the elderly. This unit also staffs the Grand Jury.

Gang Unit consists of prosecutors and investigators who have developed special knowledge and expertise in the area of gangs. Felony criminal cases that involve some type of gang involvement are usually routed to this unit for prosecution. This team must constantly stay up to date on the current trends, culture and membership of Denver area street gangs.

Drug Unit screens, files and prosecutes cases that involve drug activity. This specialized unit was established in the early 1990s to respond to increased enforcement of drug violations and handles a very large volume of cases. This unit works closely with Denver Drug Court.

Juvenile Prosecution Division screens, files and prosecutes cases in which the suspect is under the age of 18. When a case involves a juvenile who is 14 or older and is a violent offender, the case may be filed directly into District Court. This unit handles a high volume of cases involving juveniles in possession of a handgun.

Other units --

Special Programs Unit oversees a number of projects and programs:

Juvenile Diversion Unit is an intervention program in the District Attorney's Office that works with first time juvenile offenders to divert them from the criminal justice system. Diversion provides various behavior, family and community services that greatly reduce the chance that the juvenile will commit crime in the future.

Victim Services Network works to ensure the seamless integration of services for victims of crime and helps educate the community about victim issues.

Witness Protection Program provides resources to victims and witnesses in need of protection.

Family Violence Early Intervention Program is dedicated to connecting victims of domestic violence with needed resources as quickly as possible, utilizing a triage approach that includes other agencies.

Communities Against Senior Exploitation (CASE) is a unique and successful elder-fraud prevention program in which prosecutors and law enforcement partner up with faith communities. In addition to training clergy and lay leaders, the program features Power Against Fraud seminars and monthly fraud alerts.

Courtrooms to Classrooms is a program that places deputy district attorneys into Denver Public Schools classrooms to teach young students how laws affect daily life. The curriculum is designed to provide positive role models and teach problem-solving and decision-making techniques.

Other divisions include:

Victim Compensation Unit screens requests from victims for compensation and administers funds for this purpose. Requests can vary from counseling services to burial assistance. Compensation determination is decided by a Victim Compensation Board using state-mandated criteria to make compensation decisions.

Confiscations Unit administers funds from criminally-obtained assest and handles the requests for the use of those funds by law enforcement. By statute, assets confiscated from criminals can be used for law enforcement equipment and training.

Appellate Division is responsible for briefing and arguing cases through the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court. This division performs emergency research during trials, maintains a brief bank and updates the office on legislative changes in case law.

Intake Division works closely with law enforcement (Denver Police Department) in screening and filing criminal complaints. This division works under strict time deadlines, provides staff coverage six days a week and processes thousands of felony cases each year.

Information Services Division oversees the data processing and technology needs of the District Attorney's Office;

and Administration manages the operational and financial functions of the office in addition to managing grant funding and coordinating the release of public information through the media.