EUGENE, Ore. — Half a dozen prosecutors have left the Lane County District Attorney’s Office over a short period of time, creating issues across the board.
We dug into those issues to find what pushed the prosecutors to quit.
It’s concerning for the community; 6 prosecutors left the DA’s office in 8 months, a massive exodus pushing District Attorney Patty Perlow to make some tough decisions that will let some low-level criminals off the hook.
The District Attorney’s Office reinstated the No File Policy for nonviolent, Class C felonies and low-level misdemeanor crimes.
“We’re still filing C felonies that involve fraud or any kind of elder abuse and anyone that is a repeat offender,” Perlow tells us.
Among other crimes, here’s a list that the DA’s office will dismiss:
We also spoke with Springfield Police Lt. Tom Rappe. He says he’s disappointed, but this change will not impact the way officers do their job.
“We aren’t going to change a thing,” Lt. Rappe tells us. “Just because there’s a crime doesn’t mean the police aren’t going to respond. They’re going to respond; they’re going to make the arrest if necessary, and if the case is ‘no file,’ then it’s ‘no file.’”
The Eugene Police Department issued a statement saying, “We will continue to pursue and investigate all crimes, identify those responsible and do our part to hold them accountable regardless of this list or if the DA’s office will prosecute or not.”
As for Lane County's future with this new policy in place, we asked Perlow if she thinks crime will increase, and will people see this as an opportunity to commit crimes without being prosecuted.
She replied: "I think in the short run it will be mostly misdemeanor offenses that aren't going to get prosecuted because honestly, most of the property offenders and drug offenders are repeat offenders."
To clarify, the policy does not apply to repeat offenders; they will be prosecuted.
As for why so many lawyers have departed, Perlow says the Oregon Department of Justice is offering them a lot more money than the DA can pay.
Perlow says she's made some new hires, but they are entry level lawyers with no experience prosecuting, so it will take some time to train them.