Brian S. Mason, District Attorney for Colorado’s 17th Judicial District, joined the Broomfield Rotary Club to provide an inside look at how the criminal justice system operates across Adams and Broomfield counties. He explained that his office manages a criminal case load of about 30,000 cases at any given time and employs well over 200 people. These include not only prosecutors, but also investigators, victim advocates, and specialized units focused on areas such as domestic violence, juvenile crime, financial offenses, and drug trafficking. Mason walked through the lifecycle of a criminal case—from arrest and bond decisions through charging, trial, and sentencing. He emphasized that the charging decision made by the District Attorney’s Office is one of the most critical and least understood points in the process. Cases run the gamut from traffic offenses and property crimes to drug trafficking, domestic violence and murder. He gets personally involved in every murder case. 

Mason highlighted the scale and complexity of the district, which spans a wide range of communities with differing public safety challenges, requiring careful prioritization of resources. Looking ahead, Mason outlined several key priorities for his office, including expanded efforts to combat human trafficking and the upcoming launch of a Family Justice Center in Westminster. The Family Justice Center is designed to provide a centralized, one-stop location for victims of domestic violence to access legal, counseling, and support services. He and his office have found that one of the biggest challenges faced by victims of domestic violence is getting to the various geographically spread out places where the services they need are located. Placing all of those services under one roof makes it easier and safer for victims of domestic violence to get the various services they need. 

Throughout his remarks, Mason emphasized that the role of a modern District Attorney extends beyond the courtroom. It includes organizational leadership, public policy work, and ongoing engagement with the community to address evolving public safety issues. However, a District Attorney must also be a trial lawyer. Mason still prosecutes cases from time to time, to stay abreast of what his prosecutors must face. He also tends to earn the respect of other employees of the District Attorney’s Office, when they see that he can still try a case.