Search Our Site Meet The District Attorney Bureau of Investigation Top Documents Office Directory Office Locations Office Overview History Of The Office Press Releases Employment Opportunities Frequently Asked Questions Victim Services Board of Supervisor's Correspondence Contact Us Los Angeles County Website

Crimes of ViolenceWorking With CommunitiesFraud & Corruption

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the District Attorney’s jurisdiction?
    [ TOP ]
    The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes felony crimes throughout Los Angeles County – a jurisdiction covering 4,083 square miles. The territory stretches from Antelope Valley to Long Beach, from Pomona to Malibu. The District Attorney’s Office also prosecutes misdemeanor crimes in unincorporated areas of the County and in 78 of the 88 County cities. Los Angeles County is larger in population than 42 states in the nation with a population of approximately 9.8 million people.
  • Can you provide me with legal advice?
    [ TOP ]
    No. The District Attorney’s Office is prevented by law from answering legal questions or offering legal advice (California Business & Professions Code section 6131).
  • How do I report a crime?
    [ TOP ]
    All crime reports should be directed to the police agency in the area where the crime occurred. The District Attorney’s Office does not take crime reports. If you're trying to report an emergency situation, call 911 on your telephone to be connected to the emergency services you require.
  • How do I get a copy of a police report?
    [ TOP ]
    Contact the police agency that created the report to obtain a copy.
  • Can I get a rejection letter from you for a crime that was never prosecuted?
    [ TOP ]
    The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office does not write or provide "rejection" letters to individuals who were arrested, but allegedly never charged with a crime. You should direct your request to the law enforcement agency that arrested you.  You can also contact the Los Angeles Superior Court for any records they might have relating to the ultimate dismissal of the case online at www.lasuperiorcourt.org.
  • Can you help me clear up a felony warrant I have against me?
    [ TOP ]
    The District Attorney's Office is prohibited by state law and the California State Bar Rules from providing legal assistance or advice to a defendant. You may contact the Los Angeles County Public Defender at Foltz Criminal Justice Center, 210 W. Temple Street, 19th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Telephone: (213) 974-2811 Fax: (213) 229-2577 for advice about how to take care of the warrant, etc. The Public Defender represents indigent defendants. You can find them online at http://pd.co.la.ca.us/
  • Can I gain access to criminal records online?
    [ TOP ]
    The Los Angeles Superior Court is the agency  that archives this information. You must deal with them directly. You can find them on the web at http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org. 
  • Where do I find a list of all District Attorney employees and their email addresses?
    [ TOP ]
    For security reasons, none are provided. If you would like to contact an employee, write to us at webmail@da.lacounty.gov and we will forward your correspondence to that employee. You may also call (213) 974-3512 to be connected to that employee or his/her voicemail.
  • How do I find what employment opportunities exist in your office?
    [ TOP ]
    The District Attorney's Office provides a link to job opportunities within our office. Please visit http://da.lacounty.gov/hr/ to see a listing of current openings.
  • I’m a victim of identity theft. How can I restore my credit?
    [ TOP ]
    California law offers powerful solutions for victims of identity theft. For steps you can take to prevent identity theft or clear your credit report of negative entries resulting from this crime, visit our web page on identity theft at http://da.lacounty.gov/cpd/.
  • How can I have my criminal record expunged?
    [ TOP ]
    Because there are different procedures depending on what the crime was and how the sentencing was handled, you need to go to the court that convicted you and request, from the clerk's office - criminal window, the correct forms and procedures for expungement. A judge will then come to a decision that could reduce your conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor or a misdemeanor to dismissal. Another approach is to request clemency from the Governor of California and the Public Defender's Office will assist you in accomplishing this or you can hire your own attorney. With this approach your record is not expunged, but you're given clemency.
  • Whom can I talk to about a consumer-related problem?
    [ TOP ]
    The County Consumer Affairs Department, located on the web at http://consumer-affairs.co.la.ca.us/, is a valuable resource for reporting a consumer related problem or in finding information about the types of consumer crimes people are experiencing. They will only provide services to Los Angeles County residents.
  • How do I verify if a business is operating legitimately or if it has been the subject of complaints?
    [ TOP ]
    The Better Business Bureau provides information about businesses and consumer complaints on the web at http://search.bbb.org/search.html.
  • How can I recover losses from a bad check?
    [ TOP ]
    The District Attorney’s Bad Check Restitution Program may help recover losses from a bad check. Please visit the program’s web page for more information at http://da.lacounty.gov/badcheck/.
  • How do I make "spam" stop showing up in my e-mail?
    [ TOP ]
    There are no easy answers to this question. Spam is legally required to contain an "Opt-Out" option, but using it often adds you to even more lists that are sold to the spamming community and increases the amount of spam you receive. Some e-mail programs offer filtering capabilities to delete incoming spam, but you need to manually configure this option. The governing authority over this type of problem is the Federal Trade Commission. They will take your complaints if you write to uce@ftc.gov. Complaints to the FTC help the agency fight spammers who are scam artists.
  • Where do I go to make a complaint about a problem with a privately retained attorney?
    [ TOP ]
    The California State Bar Association takes complaints against attorneys investigates those complaints, and prosecutes/disciplines attorneys. For more information on how the State Bar can help, visit their website at http://www.calbar.ca.gov. The District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division investigates and prosecutes criminal misconduct among all individuals working within the justice system in Los Angeles County, including attorneys, law enforcement officers, and judges. The District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division investigates and prosecutes unauthorized practitioners of law, including non-attorneys posing as attorneys and attorneys who have been disbarred.
  • I'd like to report a case of bigamy, how is that done?
    [ TOP ]
    As with all crimes, you need to contact your local law enforcement agency and make a crime report. Once you make a crime report to the appropriate law enforcement agency, they will bring it to the prosecutorial agency which has jurisdiction.
  • Where do I find information on child support? Who can I talk to about wages garnished for child support?
    [ TOP ]
    On July 1, 2001, the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department assumed legal responsibility for child support operations formerly performed by the District Attorney's Office. Please submit all child support inquiries to the Child Support Services Department's public Call Center at (800) 615-8858. All written correspondence should be directed to:

    Child Support Services Department
    Office of Ombudsperson
    5770 S. Eastern Avenue
    Commerce, California  90040
    cservice@cssd.lacounty.gov
    http://cssd.lacounty.gov

Please read our Privacy Policy.
Site updated: 19 Jun 2007
© 1994-2008 Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. All Rights Reserved.