About the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City

The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City (BCSAO) is responsible for the prosecution of all crimes that occur in Baltimore City.  Employing over 200 attorneys and an additional 200 administrative and support staff, the BCSAO is the largest local prosecutorial office in the state of Maryland and prosecutes over 40,000 cases each year.

Uncompromisingly committed to accountability, professionalism, and transparency—the BCSAO is working towards a future where community trust in the criminal justice system is restored; violent offenders are held accountable, and communities feel safe.

Thereby, the BCSAO prosecutors and staff are committed to the mission and vision of the office and apply one standard of justice to every aspect of their work.

Mission

The mission of the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City is to safeguard communities in Baltimore City through the effective prosecution of crime.

Justice is the only barometer of success for our office, which is why our prosecutors are sworn to aggressively pursue “justice over convictions” in every case.  Justice is doing what is fair and appropriate in each case, taking into account the nature of the crime, its impact upon the victim, and the circumstances of the defendant.  Sometimes justice requires a conviction and lengthy prison sentence, but other times justice requires dropping all charges, or diverting a defendant out of the criminal justice system to drug rehabilitation, education or job training.

When the evidence exists—justice also requires us to exonerate those that have been falsely accused or wrongly convicted.

Vision

The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, which is uncompromisingly committed to accountability, professionalism, and transparency—is working towards a future where community trust in the criminal justice system is restored; violent offenders are held accountable, and communities feel safe.  We seek to cultivate an environment where success is measured not solely by the number of convictions obtained but how we engage communities and apply justice independent of one’s sex, race, religion, sexual orientation or occupation.