After serving nearly 20 years as a deputy prosecuting attorney (12 of them as a Chief Deputy), Kenneth P. Cotter took over as the St. Joseph County Prosecutor on January 1, 2015.
Prosecutor Cotter grew up in Mishawaka, graduating from Penn High School and the University of Notre Dame. After college, he taught and coached high school in Phoenix, Arizona until returning home to attend to law school (also at Notre Dame) and begin his legal career.
During his legal career, Cotter has prosecuted a variety of cases, ranging from misdemeanor to murder. He has lead Misdemeanor Division, the Family Violence/Special Victim’s Unit (SVU), the High Tech Crimes Unit, and the Drug and Firearms Unit. He was responsible for prosecuting cases investigated by the County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) and the Fatal Alcohol Crash Team from 2007 until his election in 2015.
In his career, Cotter has personally prosecuted over 250 felony trials (including over 40 murder trials) and hundreds of misdemeanor trials.
He was selected to serve on the Executive Committee for IPAC (Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council), and serves on many not for profit boards.
Cotter’s philosophy for prosecution is straight-forward but heartfelt: we need to keep violent criminals off our streets, rehabilitate those who can contribute to our community, and make sure that victims of crimes are always respected.
St. Joseph County Contact Info
Address:
227 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 1000
South Bend, IN 46601-1870
Telephone:
574.235.9544