Macomb County District Attorney's Office achieves record efficiency in processing drug arrest warrants

Macomb County District Attorney's Office
Contact: Dawn Fraylick, Communications Director
Office: +1 (586) 469-5737
Mobile: +1 (586) 842-4421
E-mail: [email protected]

13 September 2024

Macomb County District Attorney's Office achieves record efficiency in processing drug arrest warrants

Mount Clemens, Michigan – The Macomb County District Attorney’s Office narcotics unit has reached a milestone in efficiency, reducing the number of outstanding drug warrant applications to an all-time low, said District Attorney Peter J. Lucido.

As of yesterday, the office has only one warrant application from the Narcotics Unit, a record low for drug cases. Lucido praised the Narcotics Unit for its commitment to processing cases quickly, ensuring that both public safety and rehabilitation efforts are prioritized.

“Our drug unit chief and his staff have done an outstanding job of reducing the number of open warrants to an all-time low and ensuring that cases are handled fairly,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. “The team's work is critical to keeping dangerous drugs off our streets, bringing offenders to justice and helping people with addiction issues access treatment through programs like drug courts.”

The Narcotics Unit, which consists of one full-time and two part-time prosecutors, focuses on cases involving the distribution, trafficking and possession of controlled substances. Prosecutors work closely with police and review evidence from undercover surveillance operations and search warrants to build solid charges against individuals involved in drug-related criminal activity.

Over the past six years, the number of cases handled by the Drug Unit has remained relatively stable. In 2020, the Unit handled 410 cases, followed by 366 in 2021, 450 in 2022, 392 in 2023, and 190 so far in 2024. These numbers show that caseloads have not fluctuated significantly. The more notable improvement, however, is the dramatic reduction in pending warrant applications. With only one outstanding warrant application—the lowest number ever—our new technology is clearly making the process faster and more efficient.

As the opioid crisis continues to plague the county, faster processing of drug warrants plays a key role in addressing both law enforcement and public health issues. Assistant prosecutors in Macomb County are striking a balance between prosecution and rehabilitation by recommending alternatives to incarceration, such as drug courts, for low-level offenders.

Lucido credited the unit with being able to streamline its work, particularly the dedication of the drug unit leader and staff, as well as the introduction of new technology, including a case management system and digital evidence database. These tools, along with an electronic search warrant portal, have enabled the team to process cases more effectively.

The improved efficiency will help ensure drug-related cases are prosecuted quickly, Lucido noted, providing victims with a sense of justice while promoting community safety.

The significant improvement in the processing of drug warrant applications is not the only improvement that Attorney General Lucido has made since January 2021. Other advances include:

• Increased collection of child support: Intensified efforts to collect child support from parents who owe $5,000 or more. This new initiative has successfully collected $1 million for Macomb County children since last year, with most of the collection occurring without criminal prosecution.
• Macomb County Prosecutor Breaks Glass Ceiling: Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido hired a record number of women as assistant prosecutors; over the past three years, 70% of new positions have been filled by women. The majority of all assistant prosecutors handling cases in the county are now women. Lucido also promoted a record number of women to lead special units within the prosecutor's office. After implementing an objective hiring process and committing to building a diverse and inclusive crime prosecution team that reflects the community we serve, Lucido was able to fill all vacancies despite a statewide shortage of assistant prosecutors – a rarity for an office of this size.
• Record for speedy processing of arrest warrants for domestic violence: The Macomb County District Attorney's Office is processing domestic violence warrant applications more efficiently than ever before. This is a significant improvement over the years before Lucido took office, when domestic violence warrant applications against defendants who are not in custody could pile up.
• Victim support improved by 67%: More crime victims in Macomb County are receiving more help. The Macomb County District Attorney's Office has increased the percentage of crime victims receiving critical support services by ⅔ compared to 2020, the year before Lucido took office. More victims are now receiving victim's rights services, including but not limited to assigned victim advocates, help obtaining restitution, hearing notices, or other types of assistance.
• Criminal charges for young people are being reviewed more quickly than ever before: The Youth Services Authority is now approving or rejecting applications at an unprecedented rate, with the number of pending applications at its lowest level in living memory. This contributes to the overall goal of rehabilitating young offenders and protecting at-risk children.
• Mental health assessments for defendants in weapons offenses: Established a Michigan-first policy requiring a mental health evaluation as part of bail conditions in all gun crime cases, leveraging existing resources to provide the opportunity to receive mental health services before a suspect has the chance to commit another crime involving a gun.
• Hate crime unit set up: Established a Hate Crimes Unit, which received a major grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that covered 100% of all costs—an award given to only 16 organizations nationwide last year. Appointed Michigan's first and only district attorney dedicated exclusively to hate crimes to ensure robust prosecutions and community education.
• The Child Protection Unit accelerates the protection of children. The Macomb County District Attorney's Office Child Protection Unit has reached a major milestone by reducing the number of pending child protection warrant applications to a record low, even as sexual assault cases increase. This unit handles serious cases, including child abuse and sexual assault, and ensures faster resolution of cases without neglecting the care required for these sensitive matters.
• Relief from the Conviction Integrity Unit: This unit was established to investigate claims of innocence based on clear and convincing new evidence that the convicted defendant was not the perpetrator, and to verify claims of actual innocence based on new evidence such as DNA. This unit has been able to achieve exoneration.
• Establishment of a special unit for serious crimes: Prosecutor Lucido ordered that the most senior assistant prosecutors focus on serious crimes and trained additional assistant prosecutors to handle these types of cases.
• Establishment of a unit for arrest warrant complaints: Established the state's first official prosecutorial unit to provide victims of domestic violence (and all other crime victims) and law enforcement officials with a second review of warrant applications where charges have been denied.
• Platform for digital evidence management implemented: Police departments can now upload over 800,000 pieces of digital evidence for review by prosecutors and direct download by defense attorneys, giving them access to evidence faster than ever before.
• Increased internship quotas: Over 200 interns from law schools and universities have been supervised. Court rules allow law students to conduct court hearings under supervision, which helps the office assist victims and expedite cases.
• Rights of victims of paperless crime: Implemented the county's first paperless system that allows crime victims to request their rights and notifications via text message or online.
• Police training offered: Each police department in Macomb County receives regular training from assistant district attorneys, which includes up-to-date information on current court cases.
• Improved car theft unit: We have dealt with a wave of attacks on car dealerships and factories and have prosecuted more cases of ongoing criminal conduct in the last two years than in the previous decade, resulting in over $800,000 in compensation.
• Record number of national awards for good governance presented: The National Association of Counties (NaCO) presented the Macomb County District Attorney's Office with 26 awards during Lucido's tenure. The 12 awards in 2024 are the highest (record) number of awards the organization has ever given in one year.

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