Criminal Justice
Erik Wasmann, Acting Chief Counsel
The Criminal Justice Division was created within the Department of Justice in 1974 to address the need for coordination in the law enforcement community. The programs and functions administered and performed within the Division provide support and line services as well as act as a statewide multipurpose catalyst to Oregon law enforcement efforts.
The Division is organized in two sections: District Attorney Assistance and Organized Crime. In addition to their prosecution responsibilities, Division attorneys also provide general legal counsel to the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. The Division also investigates and prosecutes criminal election law complaints referred by the Secretary of State.
Given the explosive growth and complexity of crime in this state over the last decade, the problems confronting the state's law enforcement agencies have become more sophisticated and more intractable. As a result, the services provided by the Criminal Justice Division are all the more crucial. Indeed, in many instances, the Criminal Justice Division is the only agency that can provide essential services
District Attorney Assistance
The District Attorney Assistance Program was established in 1969 to assist Oregon's District Attorneys and their deputies in criminal cases and matters relating to prosecution and law enforcement in their respective counties. The program provides trial and investigative assistance, technical-legal and prosecutorial advice and services, and legal education and training in areas of criminal law and procedure.
Organized Crime
The Organized Crime Section detects and deters organized criminal activities in the state. The Organized Crime Section was established in 1977. The Section is involved in five basic types of activity to combat organized criminal enterprises:
- Investigate allegations of corruption or malfeasance by public officials in Oregon, and where appropriate, coordinate, cooperate and assist in taking legal action.
- Develop and maintain a liaison between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in Oregon, assisting them in the investigation and suppression of organized criminal activity and encouraging cooperation among those agencies.
- Establish a coordinated system of collecting, storing and disseminating information relating to organized crime.
- Investigate investment of funds in Oregon suspected to have been generated by criminal activities.
- Conduct comprehensive factual studies of organized criminal activity in Oregon, outlining existing state and local policies and procedures with respect to organized crime and formulating and proposing such changes in those policies and procedures as the Department may deem appropriate.
