The Prosecuting Attorney

All criminal cases from their inception to their disposition follow practically the same procedure. It matters not if the prosecuting office consists of two persons or two hundred and it makes little difference what type of offense may be involved. The governmental agencies engaged may vary from one jurisdiction and from one type of case to another, and the duties of the office of prosecuting attorney may differ from one situation to another, but the stages through which each prosecution must pass are nearly the same for all. The initial step in any criminal prosecution is the complaint that a crime has been committed, unless the arrest is made without a warrant. The complaint may be made by a private citizen who is injured by the offense, by some private citizen who happens to see it committed, by a police officer, or by some member of the staff of the prosecuting office. It may be made to the sheriff or his deputies, to the coroner, to the constable, to the municipal police authorities, or to the prosecuting attorney. It may be presented directly to a magistrate or a justice of the peace by a person seeking the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the offender

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