The District Attorney’s Domestic Violence (DV) Unit is responsible for handling domestic violence felony and misdemeanor cases. The DV Unit is also responsible for screening, issuing, negotiating, and prosecuting allegations of contempt of court for violations of a Family Abuse Prevention Act (FAPA) restraining order. The DV Unit is committed to stopping family abuse by proceeding with prosecution in all issued cases. The DV Unit practices a “no drop policy” and will proceed with prosecution of issued cases whenever legally and ethically possible.

Prosecution

The decision whether to issue charges is up to the DA’s Office, but the Deputy DA takes into account what victims think about prosecution of the offender. The decision whether to issue charges will be made based upon all the facts of the case as a whole with a focus on the victim and victim’s family’s safety, public safety, and offender accountability. The police report, the available evidence, and the applicable Oregon law assist the Deputy DA in determining if a case will be prosecuted as a felony or a misdemeanor.

Resources

MCDA works closely with the Family Violence Coordinating Council (FVCC) – a multi-agency, a multi-jurisdictional forum for the coordination of domestic violence intervention efforts within Multnomah County. The FVCC routinely updates its resource guide for domestic violence. For more information or to view the DV resource guide, please click here.