What Does a City Prosecutor Do?

Although every city has different expectations and job duties for its city prosecutor, there are some generalities. Typically, a city prosecutor will represent the city and work on legal proceedings against people who do not follow the laws of that city. This could include traffic law cases, criminal cases, zoning cases, and cases involving the codes of the city. In most cases, the crime would need to be committed within the boundaries of the city to be handled by the city prosecutor. In large cities, a city prosecutor may have an office full of assistant prosecutors, while small cities may only have a single prosecutor working alone.

If a city prosecutor works in an office with other assistant prosecutors, she'll likely be responsible for the dealings of the entire office. As a result, she might set guidelines for her assistants to follow. For example, she may instruct her assistants to only let a defendant in a traffic case enter a plea agreement if the defendant was not speeding. She may also be responsible for the budget of the office and any hirings or firings.

A large majority of the duties of a city prosecutor revolve around legal proceedings. In a criminal case, she may be responsible for working the case and attending the arraignment, depositions, pretrial conferences, trials, and appeals. She may also communicate with expert witnesses, victim advocates, and other professionals. In general, she will be responsible for knowing the criminal laws and statutes of the city.

Most city prosecutors only handle misdemeanor cases, while county prosecutors handle felony cases. Also, in most misdemeanor cases, if a case goes to trial, it will not be before a jury. In many areas, the prosecutor only needs to show that it was likely that the legal infraction actually occurred, making it a rather simple burden of proof for that prosecutor to show to the judge.

If a case is based on a zoning or a code issue, the prosecutor will also need to be deeply familiar with that code or statute. For example, if a homeowner chooses to cover her front yard with cement, the prosecutor may need to charge the homeowner with a violation of city ordinances if an ordinance exists that covers that violation. This might involve written letters, pleadings, and subpoenas. It could also involve communications with the media and other interested parties.

In some cases, the city prosecutor's job duties include representation of the city on matters relating to city business. For example, the prosecutor might give legal advice and represent the city and its public officials and agencies on specific laws, codes, forms, plans, and policies. She may also prepare, read, and review contracts for the city. In some cases, she may even handle real estate transactions. If these job duties are not handled by the city prosecutor, it typically means that the city employs a city attorney who is responsible for city-related issues.