California Department of Justice
Encyclopedia
The California Department of Justice is the department in the California executive branch
under the leadership of the California Attorney General
.
Besides its support of the California Attorney General's work, the Department is frequently mentioned in the newsmedia for (among other activities):
California executive branch
The California executive branch of the state of California includes many agencies including those listed below.-Governor:Agencies under the direction of a secretary that report directly to the Governor are cabinet-level agencies, to which other agencies are subordinate to:*Governor**Office of the...
under the leadership of the California Attorney General
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
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Description
It has 5344 employees and a budget of $791 million. Among its major divisions and bureaus are:- Bureau of FirearmsCalifornia Bureau of FirearmsThe Bureau of Firearms is a bureau of the Division of Law Enforcement of the California Department of Justice responsible for education, regulation, and enforcement relating to manufacture, sales, ownership, safety training, and transfer of firearms...
, which "is responsible for identifying individuals who are ineligible to acquire or possess firearms" and other weapons - Bureau of Gambling Control, which "regulates legal gambling activities"
- Division of California Justice Information Services, which "facilitates the exchange of criminal justice intelligence among law enforcement agencies"
- Division of Civil Law, which "both prosecutes and defends civil actions"
- Division of Criminal Law, which "represent[s] the People of the State of California in criminal cases"
- Division of Law Enforcement, which "maintains several crime suppression programs" and supports other state and local law enforcement agencies
- Division of Public Rights, which is involved with "safeguarding the state's environmental and natural resources," "preventing fraudulent business practices," and other responsibilities
Besides its support of the California Attorney General's work, the Department is frequently mentioned in the newsmedia for (among other activities):
- Its laboratory work. For example, in the 1995 trial of O. J. SimpsonO. J. SimpsonOrenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...
, the lead forensic chemist from the Department testified that DNA tests on blood samples from inside Simpson's Bronco "were 'consistent with' tests on blood taken from Mr. Simpson, his former wife, Nicole Brown SimpsonNicole Brown SimpsonNicole Brown Simpson was a former wife of professional football player O. J. Simpson.- Relationship with O. J. Simpson :...
, and her friend Ronald L. GoldmanRonald GoldmanRonald Lyle "Ron" Goldman was an American waiter and an aspiring model. He was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson, former wife of O. J. Simpson, an actor and retired American football player. The subsequent criminal investigation and trial against O. J...
". - Its statistics, for example on weapons sales in California.
- Its assistance to local law enforcement agencies, for example a database that "cross-reference[s] criminal history and firearms possession information".