Overview & Summary
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OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR THE 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Overview & Summary GEORGE H. BRAUCHLER, DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHAPTER 1 18th Judicial District The 18th Judicial District is the most populous and fastest growing judicial district in the State of Colorado. It encompasses Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties. The District Attorney is George H. Brauchler. SECTION 1 HISTORY History, Geography, & Colorado is divided into 22 judicial districts, numbered according to the date they came into existence. Population On November 6, 1962, voters approved the legislatively- referred constitutional amendment known as the Colorado Reorganization of Judicial Department, Measure 1 (1962), establishing the creation of the 18th Judicial District (18th JD). HIGHLIGHTS In 1964, the Colorado General Assembly established that the • The 18th Judicial District was established in 1962 18th JD would be comprised of Arapahoe and Douglas by an amendment to the Colorado Constitution. counties (Session Laws 1964, Ch. 42, Sect. 19, p. 401). Twenty days later, Elbert County was included (Session Laws 1964, • Today, the 18th Judicial District is the most Ch. 43, Sect. 2, p. 405). populous and fastest growing district in the State of Colorado. The three-county 18th JD became effective on January 11, 1965 (Session Laws, 1964, Ch. 42, Sect. 31, p. 404). • With approximately 18% of Coloradans within its borders, the judicial district is larger by square In 1969, the Colorado General Assembly added Lincoln county to the 18th JD (Session Laws 1969, Ch. 102, Sect. 4, p. miles than the State of Connecticut. 261, see also C.R.S. sec. 13-5-119(1)). • The 18th Judicial District would be the 47th most GEOGRAPHY populous state in the U.S. Colorado is the 8th largest state in the U.S. by total area, 104,093.67 square miles. The 18th JD, comprised of Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, encompasses 6,085.33 square miles, or 5.8% of Colorado. 2 Metro Area Judicial Districts POPULATION COUNTIES SQ MI COUNTIES SQ MI 1st Jefferson, Gilpin 924.29 Arapahoe 805.44 2nd Denver 154.63 Douglas 842.87 4th El Paso, Teller 2,683.80 Elbert 1,851.02 17th Adams, Broomfield 1,989.34 Lincoln 2,586 Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, 18th 6,085.33 TOTAL 6,085.33 Lincoln Colorado is the 22nd most populous state in the U.S. with The 18th Judicial District by County 5,029,186 people as measured by the 2010 Census. Compared to States Population Growth in the 18th JD By comparison to states, the 18th JD would be the 47th largest By 2020, the population of the 18th JD is expected to be triple state in the country. The states of Rhode Island, Delaware that of its 1980 total. and Connecticut are smaller in square miles than the 18th JD. 1960 1980 2000 2010 2020 STATES & 18TH JD SQ MI Arapahoe 113,426 293,292 487,967 572,003 670,882 18th JD 6.085.33 Douglas 4,816 25,153 175,766 285,465 349,393 Connecticut 5,543.41 Elbert 3,708 6,850 19,872 23,086 36,130 Delaware 2,488.72 Lincoln 5,310 4,663 6,087 5,467 5,931 Rhode Island 1,544.89 Total 127,260 329,958 689,692 886,021 1,062,336 3 Population Growth in the Denver Metro Area Demographic Information of the 18th JD According to the U.S. Census, although the 18th JD remains According to the U.S. Census, African Americans or Blacks the fastest growing jurisdiction in the Denver-metro area, all make up 10.2% of Arapahoe and Denver Counties; Arapahoe metro-area JDs (except the 1st) are expected to experience at and Douglas counties have the highest percentage of Asians in least a 1/3rd increase in population from 2000-2020. Colorado at 5.1% and 3.8% respectively. The 18th Judicial District Demographics 2000 2010 2020 1st JD 531,813 539,984 586,787 MEDIAN FEMALE 65+ WHITE AGE 2nd JD 554,636 600,158 732,907 Arapahoe 51.0 35.7 10.1 72.7 4th JD 537,484 645,613 758,828 Douglas 50.5 36.6 7.1 90.2 17th JD 402,129 497,492 599,506 18th JD 689,692 886,021 1,062,336 Elbert 50.0 43.8 9.5 94.7 Lincoln 42.1 40.9 16.8 89.0 1,100,000 The 18th Judicial Family Breakdown 825,000 AVG. FAMILY NON-FAMILY 550,000 SIZE 275,000 Arapahoe 34.8 3.13 0 Douglas 22.5 3.20 2000 2010 2020 Elbert 19.8 3.05 1st JD 2nd JD 4th JD 17th JD Lincoln 37.9 2.90 18th JD 4 SECTION 2 DISTRICT ATTORNEY GEORGE H. BRAUCHLER The District Attorney George H. Brauchler is the District Attorney of Colorado’s 18th Judicial District. He was elected in November 2012 and took the oath of office as District Attorney on January 8, 2013. DA Brauchler is an experienced HIGHLIGHTS prosecutor and civil trial attorney, a national trainer of • George Brauchler is the first Douglas County prosecutors, and a U.S. Army resident in the history of the 18th Judicial Reserve Judge Advocate District Attorney’s Office, to be elected as District General officer. He brings new Attorney. vision, energy, and leadership to the Office of the District Attorney for the 18th JD. • In 2013, the 18th JD-elected District Attorney sought and received the lowest DA salary in DA Brauchler began his legal career in 1995 at the Jefferson Colorado and was paid less than 65% of the other County District Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted metro area District Attorneys. domestic violence, homicide, larceny and narcotics cases and most-notably, the only two felony cases arising out of the • District Attorneys are limited to two consecutive Columbine High School massacre. four-year terms. The District Attorney is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve and has served his country in the JAG corps since 1996. He has been called to active duty twice since 9/11. In 2011, he saw active duty as Chief of Military Justice for Fort Carson, and ultimately, the Fourth Infantry Division, US Division-North, Task Force Ironhorse in Tikrit, Iraq. 5 DA Brauchler worked in private practice from 2008-2010 and YEARS FROM from 2011 until December of 2012, during which time he handled civil litigation, criminal defense, and represented Michael Miller 1965-1969 Arapahoe veterans and victims of crime. Robert Gallagher 1969-1997 Arapahoe James Peters 1997-2005 Arapahoe Carol Chambers 2005-2013 Arapahoe George Brauchler 2013-Present Douglas QUALIFICATIONS & TERMS Article VI, Section 13 of the Colorado Constitution states (emphasis added): District attorneys - election - term - salary - qualifications. In each judicial district there shall be a He obtained both his Bachelor's Degree and law degree (Juris district attorney elected by the electors thereof, whose term Doctor) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. of office shall be four years. District attorneys shall DA Brauchler has lived in Colorado for more than 40 years. receive such salaries and perform such duties as provided by He and his wife live in Douglas County and have four law. No person shall be eligible to the office of district children. attorney who shall not, at the time of his election possess all the qualifications of district court judges as provided in this THE 18TH JD DISTRICT ATTORNEYS article. All district attorneys holding office on the effective date of this amendment shall continue in office for the Since the creation of the 18th JD in 1964, there have been five remainder of the respective terms for which they were District Attorneys. elected or appointed. District Attorneys are limited to two consecutive four- year terms. However, “[t]he voters of any such political 6 subdivision may lengthen, shorten or eliminate the limitations The BOCCs approved a tiered salary scale (in on terms of office....” Article XVIII, Section 11, Colorado dollars): Constitution. 2013 2014 2015 2016 130,000 143,000 156,000 165,000 Salaries of the Metro-Area District Attorneys (2013) (in dollars): 1ST JD 2ND JD 4TH JD 17TH JD 18TH JD 208,000 207,000 183,000 203,859 130,000 What the Data Reflects SALARY 208000 $210,000 The statutory minimum salary for a District Attorney anywhere in Colorado is $130,000 per year. The Boards of $180,000 County Commissioners (BOCCs) of the counties comprising a $150,000 judicial district may set an amount in excess of that minimum $120,000 salary. Colo. Rev. Stat. sec. 20-1-301. $90,000 Upon election in November 2012, DA Brauchler negotiated $60,000 with the BOCCs of the 18th JD a reduction from the $30,000 predecessor’s salary of $160,000 to the legal minimum $0 $130,000. Annual Salaries (Metro Area) 1st 2nd 4th 17th 18th 7 CHAPTER 2 Prosecution The main function of the Office of the District Attorney is the prosecution of violations of Colorado’s criminal statutes occurring within the 18th Judicial District. The office employs 79 prosecutors. SECTION 1 MISSION STATEMENT Intake & Charging Sometimes referred to as “the tip of the spear” in any criminal prosecution, an Intake team exists in Arapahoe and Douglas counties to advise and assist police investigations, review search warrants submitted as part of a police investigation, and file formal HIGHLIGHTS criminal charges. • The Intake team is often the first unit that will Other important Intake functions include providing training see and review a case in the District Attorney’s to local police agencies; representing the People when Office. defendants first appear in court; and arguing for an appropriate bond that will ensure that the defendant returns • In 2013, the Intake Unit filed 3,770 felony cases to court and the community remains safe during the pendency and declined to file charges on 405 cases.