DATA GLOSSARY

DIVISION

There are presently 10 divisions of the court, which are numbered 1 through 10. Each division is presided over by 1 of the 10 judges, as follows:

Division 1 – Judge Courtney L. Johnson
Division 2 – Judge Asha F. Jackson
Division 3 – Judge Yolanda C. Parker-Smith
Division 4 – Chief Judge Shondeana C. Morris
Division 5 – Judge Gregory A. Adams
Division 6 – Judge Stacey K. Hydrick
Division 7 – Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson
Division 8 – Judge Nora L. Polk
Division 9 – Judge Mark Anthony Scott (until January 2023)/ Brian E. Lake (appointed April 2023)
Division 10 – Judge Tangela M. Barrie

OFFENSE GROUPS

An "offense group" is a category for crimes (like Violent Crime, Drug Offenses, or Traffic Offenses). These groups allow for easier analysis and visualization. The Data Dashboards highlight fifteen (15) different offense groups, including Homicide, Human Trafficking, Sex Offenses, Gangs, Cruelty to Children, Disabled Person/Elder Abuse, Violent Crime, Drugs, Weapons, Theft, Public Order, Forgery/Fraud, Crimes Against Animals, Traffic Offenses, and Public Corruption. Each offense group is defined as follows:

Homicide: Includes malice murder, felony murder, murder in the second degree, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter.

Human Trafficking: Includes trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude, keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, pandering, prostitution.

Sex Offenses: Includes rape, statutory rape, aggravated assault with intent to rape, sodomy, sexual exploitation of children, child molestation, incest, sexual battery, failure to register as a sex offender, and peeping tom. 

Gangs: Includes violations of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and committing an offense or engaging in criminal activity with the intent to obtain or earn membership and/or maintain or increase status within a criminal street gang.

Cruelty to Children: Includes cruelty to children in the first, second, and third degree, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, enticing a child for indecent purposes, endangering a child, educational neglect, and other charges where the primary victim is a child and there are no homicide, human trafficking, or sex elements to the crime. 

Disabled Person / Elder Abuse: Includes cruelty to a person 65 years or older, neglect, abuse, intimidation, exploitation of a disabled adult, elder person, or resident of a long-term care facility, simple battery against a person who is 65 years or older or is pregnant, and failure to report abuse of a disabled or elderly person.

Violent Crime: Includes armed robbery, assault and battery offenses, burglary, home invasion, kidnapping, false imprisonment, stalking, harassment, terroristic threats, and arson. 

Domestic Violence: (ADD) Includes anything assigned to DVSA and then any Battery-DV, or aggravated stalking charges. 

Drugs: Includes possession of a controlled substance charges, possession with intent to distribute, distribution, manufacture of controlled substances, trafficking of controlled substances, and other drug charges.

Weapons: Includes possession of a firearm or knife in restricted areas, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, unlawful possession of knives, explosives, or destructive devices, and other weapons-related charges (such as use of machine guns, sawed-off rifles, shotguns, or silencers).  

Theft: Includes theft by shoplifting, theft by extortion, theft by taking, theft by deception, theft of services, theft by receiving stolen property, robbery by force, robbery by intimidation, robbery by sudden snatching, and robbery by force (does not include armed robbery, which is categorized under the Violent Crime category).

Public Order: Includes domestic terrorism, public indecency, disrupting a lawful gathering, inciting an insurrection, affray, disorderly conduct, advocating to overthrow the government, criminal trespass, damage to property, gambling, reckless conduct, judicial and jail-related crimes (such as perjury and unlawful acts in a penal institution), and other crimes that disrupt peace.

Forgery/Fraud: Includes financial fraud, identity fraud, forgery, fraudulent practices, racketeering, invasion of privacy, and other charges that involve illegally manipulating or creating documents/assets, whether using computer systems or not, for monetary gain.

Crimes Against Animals: Includes cruelty to animals, dog fighting, hunting violations, and the neglect or abandonment of animals.

Traffic Offenses: Includes reckless or aggressive driving, driving while under the influence, driving while license suspended or revoked, serious injury or death by vehicle, and other traffic-related offenses.

Public Corruption: Includes violation of oath by public officer, bribery, conspiracy to defraud the state, fraudulent acts by a public official, extortion under color of office, fraud in obtaining public assistance, food stamps, or Medicaid, misuse of state funds, and other offenses involving the abuse of government either by public officials or individual actors. 

For more information on the offense groups and their rankings, visit the Technical Notes section. 

UNITS

The office is comprised of 16 units. Most units specialize in a particular field, i.e., domestic violence/sexual assault, crimes against children, crimes against elder persons and adults with disabilities, and so forth. Each unit is defined as follows:

Anti-Corruption Unit: The  Anti-Corruption Unit focuses primarily on complex white-collar crimes involving losses exceeding $100,000, as well as cases involving police officers' excessive use of force or the use of a firearm. Every discharge of an officer's weapon in the line of duty in DeKalb County is reviewed by the Office of the District Attorney through this unit. The unit also reviews and prosecutes cases involving public officials and county employees accused of breaching duties of public trust. The unit's experienced attorneys, investigators, and paralegals prosecute complex fraudulent business practices, cybercrimes, romance scams, mortgage fraud, and crimes against government organizations and institutions.

Child Crimes Unit: The Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney is committed to protecting children by aggressively prosecuting offenders who prey on our youngest citizens. The Child Crimes Unit (CCU) handles cases in which children have been victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, or homicide. CCU employees are on-call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to assist law enforcement with investigations into child maltreatment. They respond to the scenes of suspicious child deaths and attend autopsies. Unit attorneys engage with local law enforcement agencies and community groups to bolster child welfare in DeKalb County. CCU employees are leaders and members of organizations and task forces that advance their abilities to protect children, specifically the DeKalb County Multidisciplinary Team and the DeKalb County Child Fatality Review.

Crimes Against Elder Persons and Adults with Disabilities Unit: The Crimes Against Elder Persons and Adults with Disabilities Unit (CAEPAD) prosecutes crimes perpetrated against seniors and adults with physical or mental disabilities. Maltreatment or neglect of dependent adults can take many different forms, including passive neglect, active neglect, psychological abuse, financial abuse, and physical abuse. The CAEPAD Unit also leads the DeKalb County At-Risk Adult Multidisciplinary Team (DARA MDT) and presents trainings throughout the county to educate seniors on how to protect themselves from scams and abuse. 

Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit: The Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit handles all DeKalb County adult sexual assault cases and high lethality domestic violence cases,  including domestic violence and sexual assault homicides. In addition to giving these special cases the expertise, care, and commitment they deserve, the unit also assists and trains law enforcement officers, medical personnel, and crisis counselors in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault and informs judges of current domestic violence and sexual assault law to aid in fair rulings and appropriate sentences. 

Firearm Violence Prevention Unit: Most violent crimes that occur in DeKalb County involve a firearm. The purpose of the Firearm Violence Prevention Unit (FVPU) is to reduce gun violence in our community and work toward healing those affected by it. The FVPU is dedicated to identifying and prosecuting the "impact offenders" responsible for most of the gun violence in DeKalb County. Additionally, the FVPU focuses on investigating firearm-related cases with a domestic violence component, particularly those involving prior misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence or where a protective order is in place. The FVPU routinely collaborates with federal partners, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to pursue federal charges in these cases when appropriate. Our commitment extends beyond prosecution; we aim to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries through gun safety education and community engagement. By targeting impact offenders, reducing the number of illegal firearms on our streets, and providing support to those affected by gun violence, the FVPU strives to make DeKalb County a safer place for all. 

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force: The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HITDA) task force investigates complex drug cases involving large quantities of illegal drugs being distributed by national and multinational organizations.

Homicide and Gangs Unit: The Homicide and Gangs Unit (HGU) consists of specialized prosecutors, investigators, advocates, and support staff who handle the majority of the homicides and complex gang cases in the Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney. HGU is responsible for thoroughly investigating homicides that occur in DeKalb County to determine if sufficient evidence exists to indict, and if so, handles the cases once they enter Superior Court to resolution. This review and preparation require teams highly skilled in organizing and analyzing high volumes of evidence from external law enforcement agencies, internal investigative action, digital forensics evidence, including cell phone evidence, location data, social media evidence, and all forms of crime scene evidence. In addition to homicides, the unit handles complex gang cases. These cases include gang-related violent offenses, armed robberies, and narcotics activity.

Human Trafficking and Internet Crimes Unit: The Human Trafficking and Internet Crimes Unit (HTIC) handles cases in which individuals have been victims of human trafficking through labor or sexual exploitation, regardless of whether the victim is a child or an adult. In addition, the unit handles cases where children are sexually exploited through digital communications and on the internet. The members in this unit are trained to identify and protect trafficking victims and victims of internet crimes. They work with police departments to train officers to spot signs of human trafficking and complete thorough investigations. They also coordinate with police, businesses, and community groups to educate and increase awareness around these crimes and report suspected trafficking to the authorities.

Trial Division: The Trial Division is responsible for the majority of felony cases filed in DeKalb County. Its staff is divided into 10 teams — one assigned to each Superior Court judge. Each team consists of two attorneys, two investigators, a legal assistant, and a victim advocate. Trial Division attorneys prosecute felonies ranging from theft by shoplifting to armed robbery to murder. The highly qualified and experienced staff handles bond hearings, motions, arraignments, trials, and probation revocations. Cases are thoroughly investigated to determine the most appropriate charges. They are then prosecuted in a manner that best serves the interests of the victim and the safety of the DeKalb County community.

SB440 (Juveniles Charged as Adults) Unit: The SB440 Unit handles serious violent felonies committed by juveniles (ages 13-16) under Georgia's Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1994 (SB440), which allows serious cases to be tried in Superior Court rather than Juvenile Court.