Deputy DA Kate Lynch running unopposed, poised to take office
Lynch earned a Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law, a Master of Social Work from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Oregon.
As a post-graduate, Lynch studied abroad in Venezuela and experienced a trajectory-changing event when she herself was a victim of a crime, a violent robbery. She said the incident was distressing and her first instinct was to call the police.
“It was so surprising, the reaction of every Venezuelan was ‘why would you call the cops, they are all corrupt,’” she said.
That profoundly shaped her beliefs on how crime victims should be treated and put her on the path she is on today.
A few years later, after she earned her master’s, Lynch was with Multnomah County District Attorney’s office as a victim’s advocate when she decided to go back to school.
“I decided I wanted to be a prosecutor, so I could be better about pursuing justice for victims of crimes.”
She enrolled in law school at Lewis & Clark, during which she worked as a probation officer.
Her primary clients were affected by substance use disorder, or addiction. This experience taught Lynch even individuals with high degrees of criminality and addiction can change with the right support structure and accountability.
When it comes to balancing sentence recommendations and the belief people have the capacity to change, Lynch looks at criminal history, seriousness of crime and victim input.
“You look at what is going to be best for public safety while taking victim input into account,” she said eluding to adding a formal probation drug package if the defendant is struggling with addition.
She said prison sentences are necessary for some individuals because of their conduct, criminal history and a variety of factors, but DAs want to be open to giving each defendant individual consideration.
“We want to be able to consider aggravating factors and mitigating factors for each case. Justice isn’t A plus B equals C,” she said.
Lynch chose to work in Yamhill County, because she knew District Attorney Berry had a statewide reputation for running a victim-centric office, which is her passion and a legacy she aims to continue.
Lynch started as deputy district attorney in Yamhill County in 2007. She started first with covering misdemeanors then moved on to the juvenile department. She later chaired the Yamhill County Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team and Sexual Assault Response Team. She was promoted to chief deputy DA in 2018.
Currently Yamhill has 11 deputy prosecutors, who are divided by case types, such as child abuse, elder abuse and more. The DA’s office has a total of 34 staff members.
Lynch has been supervising prosecutors since 2018 and said overseeing the entire department will be a learning curve and professional growth opportunity.
“I’m excited because we have an exceptional team,” she said, highlighting the victim services division in particular.
“Oregon has a certain standard (requiring) the prosecutor’s office must assist this category of victims,” she said. “But in our office, we assign a crime victim advocate to assist every victim of crime who wants to participate, so we go above and beyond the state requirement.”
Her vision is to expand the victim services program.
Regarding her preparedness on managing the office, she noted her working relationship with managers in the office. There are things she does not know yet, but is willing to learn.
She attributes her excellent relationship with law enforcement to Berry’s diligent development of relationships with community partners. Lynch believes government agencies should be collaborative and not antagonistic as they work toward the common goal of public safety and justice for victims. She added that law enforcement personnel can always call and stop by the office.
Lynch said the biggest challenge at the forefront for the DA office is the opioid crisis, which she described as a public safety, health and humanitarian concern.
“Oregon, unfortunately, has become attractive to organized criminal operations over the last several years,” she said.
Lynch was not a supporter of Measure 110, the Drug Treatment and Recovery Act, but said the legislation wasn’t the only contributor to Oregon’s crime surge, as controlled substances are nexus to all different types of crimes. She said her role as DA is to follow laws on the books, but that new legislature affects the tools she and others have to prosecute.
Lynch will take office on Nov. 1 and will have a formal swearing in ceremony in February 2025.
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