Welcome to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office Web Site. My name is John McCarthy and I am the State’s Attorney for Montgomery County Maryland. Our Office handles over 30,000 criminal and incarcerable traffic cases each year. The State’s Attorney’s Office has over 100 professionals – prosecutors, paralegals, victim assistance and administrative staff, as well as investigators – who work for you.

Click here for a video about the State's Attorney's Office.   Click here for District Court Schedule.

The State’s Attorney’s Office is a constitutionally created independent agency. Our mission is to serve the public interest through fair and honest administration of justice by exercising responsibilities to: prosecute criminal violations in Montgomery county; educate the public to criminal justice issues; provide training to lawyers for future service; address inequality and promote fairness in the criminal justice system; insure access to the criminal justice system; promote professional relations with judges and attorneys; and further the efficient use of criminal justice resources.

Our Office has adapted to meet the challenges of our community’s changing and growing needs our Office. We were the first county in Maryland to start a full-time Gang Prosecution Unit. This Unit, comprised of specially-trained attorneys, prosecutes all cases in which the defendant is a member of a gang. We have also working to combat the new crimes of the 21st century by working with police and community members to combat identity theft and crime involving technology. We have started the Internet Safety Initiaitve in which we prosecute those who use the internet to pray upon our children. We are also working with local schools and community groups to try and educate children and parents about internet safety.

Recognizing the diversity of our county, we became the first prosecutor’s office in the United States to implement Community Prosecution.  Assigning our prosecutors according to police districts and neighborhood enables them to work more effectively with civic associations, business groups, schools, and faith-based organizations to directly fight crime at its source.  Moreover, we assign a prosecutor as a liaison to every school in our county.  We have also made significant strides to enhance the diversity of our Office, establish two Domestic Violence dockets, an Elder Abuse Task force, a Citizens’ Complaint Bureau, and a no-plea policy on handguns used to commit violent crimes.

The prosecutors who work in this Office are here to serve the public, and seek justice in an aggressive and fair manner on behalf of the victims of crime.  We see ourselves as problem-solvers, not merely as case-processors.

Montgomery County Police Districts