About Us
Yolo County District Attorney Melinda Aiello
Melinda Aiello is the District Attorney of Yolo County, which is one of California’s fifty-eight counties, located in Northern California, between the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. Aiello has served as a prosecutor for 29 years. Prior to becoming District Attorney, Aiello was the Chief Deputy District Attorney in Yolo County. She came to Yolo County in December 2015 as an Assistant Chief.
During her career as a prosecutor, Aiello has focused intently on advocating for victims of crime. She specialized in prosecuting domestic violence and child and adult sexual assault cases.
As District Attorney, she will pursue a balanced approach to public safety. Through strategic methods designed to enhance offender accountability and reduce violent crime, while also embracing innovative programs to help those suffering from serious addiction and mental illness.
Aiello supports diversion of criminal cases from the traditional justice system by embracing Restorative Justice in appropriate misdemeanor and felony cases. She will continue to publish case data in continued collaboration with non-profit, Measures for Justice, who independently verify the data. The portal provides the public nearly unrestricted access to criminal justice data from her office, while also giving community members a platform to directly share their findings and engage policy makers and the media on the data.
District Attorney Aiello is a member of the California District Attorneys Association.
Education:
B.A. – University of California at Davis – Political Science and Sociology
J.D. – California Western School of Law
LL.M. – Chapman University – Prosecutorial Science
Vision, Mission, Values, Strategic Priorities
Vision Statement
Seek Justice. Do Justice.
Mission Statement
We pursue truth and justice for victims and our communities with commitment, compassion, courage, and integrity.
Goals, Beliefs and Values
Truth – We always seek the truth.
Integrity – We uphold public trust with unwavering integrity.
Accountability – We believe in personal responsibility and accountability.
Justice – We are committed to fair and equitable justice for all.
Collaboration – We work cohesively with our law enforcement partners, our communities and each other to achieve justice.
Innovation – We have the courage to pursue innovation in everything we do.
Communication – We value open communication and an informed citizenry.
Respect – We acknowledge and respect the diverse views and contributions of all in the criminal justice system and in our communities.
Leadership Development
The District Attorney is committed to Leadership Development for his staff and Yolo County as a whole. In furtherance of this goal, we will post relevant leadership articles and links on this site to share internally and beyond.
Five Irrefutable Paradoxes Of Leadership
The paradox of leadership is that sometimes actual leaders have to embrace qualities that don’t come naturally to them. In this article, we will explore the five paradoxes of leadership and look at how they can make you a more effective leader.
Want to Succeed? First, Become Self-Aware
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-succeed-first-become-self-aware-daniel-goleman
Practices for Effective Local Government Leadership
https://icma.org/practices-effective-local-government-leadership
How Great Leaders Ask Great Questions
By Ron Ashkenas
How well do you ask questions? Great leaders know how to ask great questions of themselves and others. This is a skill that can be learned. The attached article link provides a good discussion of the issue and the video is just fun.
7 Habits Of Natural Leaders
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/20/traits-that-make-a-leader_n_5959298.html
Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe
By Simon Sinek
An intriguing analysis of how great leaders build a culture of trust in successful organizations.
Why Most Leaders Need to Shut Up and Listen
By Mike Myatt
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/02/09/why-most-leaders-need-to-shut-up-listen/
Social Intelligence and Leadership
This video can be viewed in High Definition on the Harvard Business Review.
Daniel Goleman, psychologist, encourages you to see how you can use emotional and social intelligence to improve your own and your organization’s performance.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
EITC Article Science of People Skills | EITC Article Leaders with EI | EITC Leading with EI (2010)
Disclaimer: Any links to external websites and/or non-Yolo County District Attorney information provided on Yolo County District Attorney pages are provided as a courtesy. They should not be construed as an endorsement by the Yolo County District Attorney of the content or views of the linked materials.
Honoring Yolo County Fallen Peace Officers
Photos provided by the Yolo County Retired Peace Officers Association
Investigations Division Policies
DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PREFACE: The investigation and gathering of evidence is a responsibility inseparable from the prosecutorial function of the District Attorney. It is for this reason that the law empowers the District Attorney, who is recognized by the California Constitution as the chief law enforcement officer of their county, to employ peace officers to fulfill the investigatory duties of the office. The manual that follows comprises policies that will direct investigators employed by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. These policies are guided by statute and court decisions. Although the manual is comprehensive, it is not all encompassing. Investigators are always expected to comply with the law and exercise good judgment when encountering unusual circumstances. This manual is being made available to the public pursuant to law and our ongoing commitment to public transparency. ~ District Attorney Jeff Reisig
