WRIGHT COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

                                                                           Tom Kelly

The County Attorney is elected by the residents of Wright County to a four year term.  The current County Attorney is Tom Kelly.

Tom Kelly has been with the Wright County Attorney's Office since 1984 and was Chief of Criminal Division between 1990 and 1998.  He was elected County Attorney in the fall of 1998.

The Mission Statement for the Wright County Attorney's Office is:

To promote justice, public safety and effective government by prosecuting crime,protecting those in need and providing the best possible legal advice to Wright County.

The Wright County Attorney's Office has 28 employees: 1 County Attorney, 1 Chief Deputy County Attorney, 13 Assistant County Attorneys, 1 Office Manager, 1 Victim/Witness Coordinator, 1 Paralegal, 1 Investigator and 9 Secretaries, all of whom work hard at representing the Wright County Attorney's Office and the citizens of Wright County.  The County Attorney supervises the assistant county attorneys and support staff, establishes policy and guidelines to be used by them, and performs administration to insure that the duties of the office are properly carried out.  The annual budget (2009) is approximately $2,519,000.

The County Attorney utilizes the "Team Approach" to prosecution which requires a working relationship between the County Attorney's Office and law enforcement that instills credibility, confidence, cooperation and teamwork.  The County Attorney's Office works with the Wright County Sheriff's Department, the Buffalo Police Department, the Annandale Police Department, the Howard Lake Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota State Patrol.  To further the "Team Approach," the County Attorney's Office will provide instruction to law enforcement on criminal law and procedure.

The County Attorney's Office has an adult Felony/Gross Misdemeanor Criminal/Traffic Division, an adult Misdemeanor/Petty Misdemeanor Criminal/Traffic Division and a Juvenile Delinquency/Traffic Division and  Juvenile CHIPS (Children in Need of Protection or Services) that includes Truancy and Termination of Parental Rights.