District Attorney Stephan was a Deputy District Attorney in San Diego County for 28 years. She rose through the ranks to be appointed as District Attorney in 2017. San Diego is one of the largest DA’s Office in California, serving as the People’s Prosecutor for the entire San Diego County and its over three million residents. The DA uses her experience to maintain San Diego County as one of the safest urban regions in the United States. She informed Rotarians about the crime fighting changes due to COVID-19.
Given the current lockdown, human trafficking increased as more students are online. Predator chatrooms filled with discussions on this new opportunity. Children appeared more online due to missing sports and other activities. In response to this situation, San Diego Trafficking Prevention Collective provides school teacher training materials. Click on the SDTPC to find more information.
There have been other spikes in crime including domestic violence, fraudulent Employment Development Department (EDD) requests by inmates, opioid overdoses, and cartel activities. Strong focus has been on prevention such as requiring the state to crossmatch EDD requests with prisoner lists. The CARE Center provides residents with evidence-based prevention/intervention support services to help them improve their quality of life, reduce recidivism, and promote public safety. The current recidivism rate — the percentage of offenders committing another crime —is 3%. Other victim services include relocation, mental health access and medical bill funds.
People remain resilient with a power of spirit. DA Stephan informed Rotarians that she works with an amazing team who figured out how to help feed 10,000 families. Her team completed more with less and worked around COVID exposure. In some cases, meeting participants zoomed into offices, and witnesses -- when possible -- beamed into courtrooms. As DA, she is proud to lead her hardworking team. San Diego will renew and move forward.
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