Readers respond: County must fully fund district attorney’s office

As Multnomah County’s elected district attorney, I urge the county board of commissioners to fully fund the district attorney’s office. Public safety is the county’s legal obligation under state law and foundational for a functioning community. Without proper funding, we cannot hold offenders accountable, support victims or deliver the justice Multnomah County residents expect and deserve.

Our office is delivering tangible results. The newly-created Auto Theft Task Force reduced vehicle thefts by over 50% in just two years. The Organized Retail Theft Task Force is dismantling networks responsible for millions of dollars in losses to local businesses. These units were launched with one-time city-county funding. Their success is proven and must be sustained.

The DA’s office doesn’t just prosecute. We support victims, enforce child support, connect people to treatment courts and divert low-level offenders from deeper justice involvement. But we need resources to do that work.

The Oregonian/OregonLive recently warned that cutting police funding is “a move the city can’t afford.” The same is true for our office where the proposed cuts are a much larger percentage of our overall budget. Public safety isn’t a line item to be trimmed—it’s the scaffolding that supports every other investment we make in housing, health and community well-being. No school can thrive, no small business can grow and no family can feel secure if the justice system is underfunded.

Multnomah County residents are asking for compassionate accountability and safety. I urge county commissioners to do the same—by fully funding the district attorney’s office.

Nathan Vasquez