Queens DA’s Partnerships division reaches into communities

Director of the Community Engagement Bureau Cathleen Williams updated the Borough Cabinet on The District Attorney’s new Community Partnership Division. Screenshot via Zoom

By Rachel Vick

A year-old community division established by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is reaching out to residents across the borough, while gaining prominence in an office typically associated with prosecuting crimes.

The Community Partnerships Division, led by Executive Assistant District Attorney Colleen Babb, encompasses various bureaus that engage with Queens residents outside the courthouse. Community Engagement Bureau Chief Cathleen Williams discussed the division structure during a meeting with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and the heads of Queens’ community boards on April 13.

“The community partnership division is on equal footing with every other division in the District Attorney’s Office, which is something that is new right now,” Williams said.  “That should indicate to all of us how important partnerships is to the District Attorney.”

The division, formed shortly after Katz took office last year, includes four bureaus that focus on different aspects of engagement. The Youth Empowerment Bureau runs court tours, internships and school visits; the Civic Awareness Bureau encompasses nine different cultural advisory councils; the Office of Immigrant Affairs supports crime victims regardless of their immigration status; and the Community Engagement Bureau oversees a team of staffers who attend events like PTA and community board meetings. 

Williams called the bureau’s Community Response Team, the DA’s “group on the ground.”

She said that Katz and the various engagement teams work “to make sure we are reaching out to the community and they know we are here, available and that we care.” 

“We want to make sure we bring the community information,” she added.