MultCo District Attorney's office sees 'upward trend' in case issuance

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released data on Tuesday showing seven- and eight-year case issuance highs for the agency in 2023.

According to the data, the overall issuance rate for the district attorney’s office in 2023 was 72%, which is a seven-year high, officials said. The district attorney’s office said this rate includes felonies and misdemeanors.

Officials pointed out that the 2023 issuance rate for misdemeanors alone was at a seven-year high and the rate for felonies alone was at an eight-year high.

Issuance rate is calculated as the percent of cases that law enforcement refers to the district attorney’s office where prosecutors are able to issue charges.

Of the cases the DA’s office received in 2023, officials said the main reason prosecutors were unable to issue charges was because of insufficient evidence.

“Data from 2023 show that we are continuing an upward trend in issuance rates, and have now actually surpassed pre-pandemic levels,” Schmidt said. “This is thanks to the hard work of our prosecutors and investigators, and good collaboration with our law enforcement partners. Still, our county faces real challenges, and there is more work to do, which is why we’re taking on homicide, domestic violence, auto theft, retail theft, bias crimes, and other safety issues with additional resources and initiatives.”