Denver DA’s Office Response to COVID-19

DENVER—The Denver District Attorney’s Office is doing its part regarding COVID-19.  We have adjusted how we work in a way that balances the need for social distancing with our mission of holding offenders accountable while supporting victims. DA Beth McCann has asked all employees who are able to work from home to do so and has considerably reduced the number of people in the office and in the courts.

In support of the emergency order issued by Chief Justice Coats, we are likewise balancing the need to staff the courts with the goal of reducing head count.  The District Courts are open while the County Court has closed most of its courts.

In addition, we are actively working with defense attorneys and the courts to release some inmates who are at high-risk of COVID-19 (pregnant women and those age 60 and older) and who have little time left on their sentences and leveraging in-home detention in appropriate circumstance.

We are carefully considering the circumstances of individuals and the potential charges at bond hearings in order to agree to release in as many cases as appropriate. But, as always we first consider the safety of the community in making these decisions.

In addition, the fraudsters are capitalizing on COVID-19 with new scams. The president’s announcement that the public will receive $1,000 checks has the fraudsters actively contacting people and asking that they provide their Social Security Number or other personal identifying information to expedite receipt of the check.  Unfortunately, millennials are the most susceptible to this scam.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @DenverDAsOffice to stay informed.

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