Mission Statement

The State's Attorney's Office is a constitutionally-created independent agency. The mission of the State's Attorney's Office is to serve the public interest through the fair and honest administration of justice by exercising its responsibilities to: prosecute criminal violations in Montgomery County, educate the public with regard to criminal justice issues, provide training to lawyers for future service, address inequality and promote fairness in the criminal justice system, ensure access to the criminal justice system, promote professional relations with judges and attorneys, and further the efficient use of criminal justice resources.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY24 Operating Budget for the State's Attorney's Office is $22,123,582, an increase of $1,061,300 or 5.04 percent from the FY23 Approved Budget of $21,062,282. Personnel Costs comprise 94.72 percent of the budget for 151 full-time position(s) and eight part-time position(s), and a total of 156.25 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 5.28 percent of the FY24 budget.

Consistent with the County Charter, the County Executive makes recommendations on the operating budget for all County departments, offices, and agencies. However, recognizing the Charter-defined roles, the County Executive defers significantly to Legislative and Judicial Branch agencies. Questions regarding the approved budgets for Judicial Branch departments should be directed to Lisa Russo, 240-777-7407.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following is emphasized:

• Safe Neighborhoods

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY23 estimates reflect funding based on the FY23 approved budget. The FY24 and FY25 figures are performance targets based on the FY24 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY25.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Interns and volunteers donated a total of 19,332 hours to the State's Attorney's Office in calendar year 2022, which equates to 9.29 full time equivalents. The volunteers and interns provide invaluable service and support to the State's Attorney's Office.
• In partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), the State's Attorney's Office presented "Keeping Schools Safe and Gun Free" educational assemblies to over 50,000 MCPS students during the fall of 2022. Students received information about the consequences of violating gun laws, nonviolent conflict resolution, and warning signs that someone may want to harm themselves or others.

Program Descriptions

  Administration

Staff provides central services in areas of budget, personnel, automated systems management, general office management, and public information. In addition, staff coordinates efforts and initiatives with other criminal justice agencies....

  Prosecution Management

Prosecution Management staff coordinate case loads, schedule docket assignments, receive visitors, direct phone calls, and enter and audit data in the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) for the Circuit, District, and Juvenile Courts....

  Circuit Court Prosecution

The Circuit Court Prosecution program reviews cases for possible filing in the Circuit Court by presenting these cases to the Grand Jury for indictment or filing a Circuit Court information (charging document). After charges are filed, the State's Attorney's Office litigates these cases to disposition. Senior Assistant State's Attorneys provide...

  Major Fraud and Special Investigations

The Major Fraud and Special Investigations Division investigates allegations of complex financial crimes such as real estate and other business investment fraud schemes for which the Police Department is unable to provide investigative resources. The division also investigates allegations of thefts involving attorneys stealing from clients, financial exploitation of elderly...

  Victim/Witness Court Assistance

This program assists victims in criminal cases that have been designated as "victim-intensive" by virtue of the vulnerability of the victim or the type of crime. Victims receive direct court assistance from a Victim/Witness Coordinator. The coordinator guides the victim through the judicial process, provides assistance where necessary, and makes...

  District Court Prosecution

The District Court Prosecution program prosecutes criminal cases including misdemeanor arrests, citizen complaints, and serious or incarcerable traffic offenses. The State's Attorney's Office has also implemented a Domestic Violence docket in District Court to ensure that assault cases of a domestic nature and violations of protective orders are given special...

  District Court Screening and Mediation

The District Court Screening program resolves cases before the trial date by contacting victims and witnesses to determine what outcome they would like to obtain from the criminal justice system. This program relies on volunteers and is supervised by permanent staff. It provides victim/witness assistance by delivering information about the...

  Juvenile Court Prosecution

The Juvenile Court Prosecution program prosecutes criminal violations committed by juvenile offenders in Montgomery County and performs a preliminary review of all cases in which a juvenile is charged with a violent crime. This includes cases which have been reviewed by the Juvenile Services Administration and then referred to the...