There are 27 district attorney districts in Oklahoma. The
voters from every county in a district elect one district
attorney every four years. Blaine County along with Canadian, Garfield, Grant and Kingfisher belong to District 4 with their district office being in Enid.
By law, a district attorney must be a
licensed lawyer and cannot maintain a private practice while in office.
The latter requirement serves to protect the public from
the district attorney becoming involved in practices that
might be in conflict with one's role as a public official. Duties
performed by the district attorney are as follows:
Serves as the procescutor in trial courts for crimes committed within the district.
Assists a grand jury by giving legal advice, examining witnesses, and drawing up an indictment when necessary.
Provides witness and victim assistance.
Serves as the chief legal counsel for county government.
As the chief prosecutor for the district, the district
attorney is required to prosecute in district court the crimes
committed within one's district. In Oklahoma, counties
within a district court may be different than the counties
within a district attorney's district. Thus, a district attorney
may have to work with a different set of district judges
depending on the county where the crime occured.
Witness and victim assistance is at the discretion of the
district attorney and in some cases requires written approval
by the district judge. Allowable witness assistance includes
witness
protection, information on procedures for obtaining
witness fees, and employer intervention to ensure an employee
can appear in court without substantial loss in pay and
benefits. Victims can be assisted in obtaining financial aid
and social services.
To aid in the massive number of cases reviewed and
represented by the office, a district attorney may assign one
or more assistant district attorneys and investigators to a
county. The number that can be appointed depends on the
population of the county.
County population less than 300,000
One per county
Plus one every additional 20,000 residents
County population 30,000 to 500,000
One per county
Plus one every additional 17,000 residents
County population over 500,000
Three per county
Plus one every additional 17,000 residents
For example, if the population within the county is 50,000 residents,
then it would be eligible to have three assistant district attorneys. Assistants may maintain a private practice
if receiving no more than 50 percent of the salary allotted for
a full time assistant. One investigator is allowed per county
plus an additional investigator for every 100,000 residents within a county.
As the chief lawyer for county government, the district
attorney acts as the legal advisor to the county officers on
matters related to their duties. When any county in the district
is involved in a civil litigation, the district attorney serves as
its defender or prosecutor. At various times county officials
call upon the district attorney to clarify a law or request an official interpretation from the Attorney General.
