District Attorney Mike Schmidt at a press conference Aug. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Multnomah County voters elected District Attorney Mike Schmidt in 2020. Schmidt campaigned on shrinking the criminal justice system, but his latest initiative involves hiring more prosecutors to join his team. As first reported by the Portland Mercury, Schmidt wants to spend $2.7 million on a program to hire eight new prosecutors who would be assigned to four geographic areas. These neighborhood prosecutors would work out of community centers or neighborhood-based nonprofits in an effort to build relationships and better understand the needs of the community. The ACLU of Oregon has expressed skepticism about the proposal. We hear more from DA Mike Schmidt.
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