THE GENERAL PROSECUTIONS DIVISION
Most cases, whether misdemeanors or felonies, are investigated and prosecuted by the bureaus comprising the General Prosecutions Division. The bureaus are divided by the type of crime.
- Buffalo City Court Bureau
- Justice Courts Bureau
- Grand Jury Bureau
- Homicide Bureau
- Major Crimes Bureau
- Vehicular Crimes Bureau
- Narcotics/Intelligence Bureau
- Felony Trial Bureau
- Special Victims/Domestic Violence Bureau
- Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Bureau
- Appeals Bureau
THE SPECIALIZED PROSECUTIONS DIVISION
Other criminal matters are assigned to the prosecutors within the Special Prosecution Division. Prosecutors and support staff assigned to these specialized units investigate and prosecute crimes that require significant investments in time and/or specialized skills.
THE PROSECUTION SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION
Staff assigned to the Prosecution Support Services Division provide the necessary non-legal and quasi-legal services to support our chief mission: the just prosecution criminals.
Crime victims, the families of crime victims and many witnesses are often traumatized, frightened, reluctant and/or ignorant of the mechanics of the criminal justice system. Assistant District Attorneys are chiefly responsible for the prosecution of offenders. Advocates assigned to the Victim/Witness Services Bureau are responsible for helping victims and witnesses and, when necessary, arranging for their protection and relocation. Victim/Witness advocates respond to the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) 24 hours per day to assist victims of violent crimes and their families, encountering approximately 300 violent crime victims and their families at the hospital each year. Our advocates also work closely with domestic violence victims, sexual assault victims and the family members of homicide victims.
Many cases, regardless of bureau assignment, require additional investigation. Confidential Criminal Investigators and paralegals provide these services. Most investigators are retired detectives with at least 20 years of investigation experience. Their duties include surveillance, interviewing witnesses, securing additional evidence, serving subpoenas and transporting witnesses to court.
The Erie County District Attorney’s Office is the busiest "law firm” in Western New York. Our support staff provide secretarial, information management and accounting services necessary to operate. Our secretary to attorney ratio is competitive with, and in most cases significantly less, than that found in similarly sized law firms. Members of support staff aggressively search, secure, and monitor grants from other state and federal sources thus lessening the burden to the county taxpayer.