Our Future

Although Lohra has made impressive changes in the areas of domestic violence, elder abuse, and DUI and gang prosecution, there is still much to be done. While working to improve prosecution for these important crimes, it became apparent to DA Miller that these improvements will not be as effective as they could be without a more comprehensive revision of the criminal justice process.

Millions of tax-payer dollars are spent each year processing those charged with crimes through an inefficient criminal justice system. Lohra believes we can do better. In fact, 2009 was an exciting year for the criminal justice community in Salt Lake County. In an unprecedented collaboration, DA Miller brought together leaders from the courts, adult probation and parole, Salt Lake County Jail, Salt Lake County Pre-trial Services, Salt Lake County Sheriff, local law enforcement, and mental health and substance abuse professionals to work together and examine ways to make the criminal justice system more effective and cost efficient. This program was recently featured in an article in the Salt Lake Tribune and has received $750,000 in grant funding to begin program development and implementation.

In 2006, Lohra Miller promised meaningful change to our community. As a prosecutor for many of the cities in Salt Lake County, she had grown frustrated with District Attorney (D.A.) policies that were nonresponsive to the needs of crime victims. She decided that enough was enough. Lohra ran for District Attorney so that she could make the changes that would make victims of domestic violence safer, hold offenders more accountable, and prepare the District Attorney’s Office to make our community safe well into the future.

You elected Lohra because of the positive promises she made, and she immediately went to work making the changes you wanted. No rhetoric, just results. Lohra has worked with prosecutors, courts, community leaders, and law enforcement to drastically improve the prosecution of domestic violence, DUI, automobile homicide, murder, elder abuse, and juvenile crimes. She realizes that making you and your loved ones safe takes more than just prosecuting cases. Lohra works vigilantly to ensure that the criminal justice system— from arrest to sentencing— uses tax-payer resources to balance the needs of victims, meets society’s need for justice, and ensures offender accountability. Lohra Miller knows what it takes to keep you safe and does what is necessary to serve justice, not politics.

Lohra has been an outspoken advocate for you. Public safety has been her number one priority, and she hasn’t been afraid to make the difficult choices needed to keep our community the great place that it is. Throughout her time in office, Lohra has acted with our community’s best interest at heart.

Many of the programs Lohra has created have bright futures. As these programs develop, they will ensure the continued safety of our community.

• What is the next step for existing programs?
  • Domestic Violence(DV) - The creation of the Domestic Violence Team has radically redefined DV prosecution in our community. The special focus of DV prosecutors allows provides early intervention and offender rehabilitation. It also creates a group specialized in helping victims overcome the violence they have experienced. It is about stopping violence. As the domestic violence team moves forward, prosecutors will rest vigilant to maintain the integrity of DV prosecutions. They will work with law enforcement and community groups to ensure that any gaps in services are filled. Evidence suggests that the development of offender- paid specialty courts can dramatically improve offender rehabilitation. The DV Team is currently exploring the creation of a specialized domestic violence court that would take the next step to stopping violence in the home.
  • DUI Prosecutions - DUI prosecutions have received a special focus under Lohra Miller and that focus is starting to pay off. The DUI Team has brought a consistency and expertise to DUI prosecution that has been sorely lacking. DUI prosecutions will take another step forward in March 2010 as the District Attorney’s Office and seven other representatives from various criminal justice agencies will travel to a DUI court training to learn how to develop and implement a dedicated DUI court. This training is paid through a grant from the National Center for DWI Courts. After the training, the DUI Team will explore innovative ways to fund a dedicated DUI court at minimal cost to tax payers.
  • Elder Abuse - The Elder Abuse team was created in January 2010 after two years of preparation. Following the same model as the development of the Domestic Violence Team, the Elder Abuse Team has grown from one designated specialty prosecutor to include two full-time prosecutors, one half-time prosecutor, and a full-time grant funded investigator. With an estimated one-in-ten elder abuse crimes actually being reported, there is great need for improved elder abuse prosecution. The possibility of physical and financial exploitation threatens us all as we age. The elder abuse team is committed to counter that threat. As they move forward, elder abuse prosecutors are working with Adult Protective Services, Salt Lake County Ageing Services, law enforcement agencies, and others to identify and fill the gaps in services needed to support victims and bring justice to our community.
  • Gang Crimes - Lohra invests significant District Attorney resources to the prosecution of gang offenders. Her efforts do not stop with enforcement. She is devoted to working toward gang prevention. In 2008, Governor Huntsman appointed her as Co-Chair of his Gang Task Force, an honor extended by Governor Herbert when he took office in 2009. Through that task force, Lohra has worked with other community leaders to find effective ways to prevent gang crimes, reduce the number of gang members in our community, and help at-risk youth find good alternatives to gang membership.

Lohra Miller has many new, developing programs that will change the way you stay safe. These initiatives will put the District Attorney’s Office at the forefront of developing criminal justice practices. The District Attorney’s Office will become a more versatile, dynamic office that will stay on the leading edge of criminal prosecution. These are nuts and bolts solutions to the challenges facing our community. Some of those projects are:

Early Case Resolution Court

Lohra has been working with other County leaders to redefine the way that offenders are prosecuted in our community. While the current system works well, it comes at too high a price and with too much risk for letting offenders off the hook. We can do better. Lohra has been working to find a way to get offenders to court and hold them accountable earlier—when they are more likely to be open to rehabilitative programs. They have found the system they are looking for in a new court model for screening and prosecuting cases. Click here to find out more about this system.

Paperless Office

Lohra Miller continually works to integrate technology into District Attorney processes to provide for your safety more efficiently. A new case management system has started that process, and the next step is to create an electronic document management system. This will create a paperless office. Prosecutors will no longer have to carry stacks of paper files with them to court. All they will need is their laptop. This will reduce the costs associated with the use of paper files, improve prosecutor mobility and flexibility, and allow the District Attorney’s Office to prosecute cases more efficiently.

New Office Location

One of the major challenges facing the District Attorney’s Office in the next few years will be finding a permanent location for the office. As real estate prices continue to rise, the costs for housing the downtown location of the District Attorney’s Office will rise as well, costing taxpayers a significant sum. Realizing this early in her first term as District Attorney, Lohra worked with the County Council to commission a study determining what location solution would provide the most benefit and value to you. Now that it is clear that County-owned locations make the most business sense, the County can move forward in finding an appropriate location for the future of the District Attorney’s Office.