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April is a month dedicated to increasing awareness of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other violent crimes, and this month, The People’s Office was focused on those issues while celebrating our half-century of direct support for victims of crime in Pima County. Significantly, this month, PCAO appointed a familiar face as the new Legal Administrator. Your April 2025 Community Newsletter has arrived.
We were happy to announce the appointment this month of PCAO veteran Giuliano De Santis as our new Legal Administrator. Giuliano has been with The People’s Office for three years, working in other capacities, including his former role as the special assistant to our previous Legal Administrator.
In his new role, Giuliano will support the administration and management at PCAO in operations, including human resources, finance, information technology, and organizational efficiency. A former trial paralegal in the Domestic Violence and Major Crimes units, Giuliano has amassed the varied experience to understand both the legal and administrative roles at PCAO.
“Giuliano has been with us for several years now and understands our mission and values,” County Attorney Laura Conover said. “The news about his promotion has been met with immense joy.”
April started with public acknowledgment of one of the finest contributions the Pima County Attorney’s Office has ever made to the criminal justice system.
At the Pima County Board of Supervisors April 1 meeting, a resolution was unanimously adopted recognizing the half century of victim advocacy provided by staff and volunteers at PCAO and proclaiming April 6-12 as “Crime Victims Week in Pima County.”
Truth is, victim advocacy is a daily dedication at PCAO, and because of the work started here in January 1975, it is everywhere. There was also a made-for-TV movie called ‘Night Partners” released in 1983 based on the work of our Victim Services Division.
After then-Pima County Attorney Dennis DeConcini launched what would become PCAO’s Victim Witness Program that year, the practice of victim advocacy spread across the United States and in other countries.
We are forever proud of this legacy and of the staff, volunteers, and courthouse dogs who have made it happen for the past 50 years.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Pima County Attorney Laura Conover and her outreach team were on hand for this year’s TUCSAAM event on the University of Arizona mall. The event, led by the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA), featured a host of speakers, including Laura, as well as a 5K run/walk event, and multiple agencies and organizations braving high winds to provide information and swag to attendees.
The Southern Arizona Center for Sexual Assault reports the annual Dine Out for Safety event, in which participating restaurants in Tucson donate a share of one day’s profits to support victims of sexual assault, raised more than $81,000 this year. Thank you to all those businesses that participated and everyone who supported the effort by dining out!
In honor of #AutismAwarenessMonth one of our Deputy County Attorneys, Cailyn Ann Teague, was featured in the New York Law Journal to talk about the strengths of Neurodivergent Lawyers and how they can use their attention to detail, meticulous planning, organizational skills, and concentrated focus to excel in the courtroom. Way to go, Cailyn!!! You can read the entire article here.
The University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law invited Laura to speak with law students about her career as an attorney, and she was happy to oblige. A Rogers alum, Laura met with about a dozen aspiring lawyers, sharing her experience as both County Attorney and a defense lawyer, while making connections that might lead some into a career in prosecution.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office is joining the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in asking citizens to report any disruptions or delays in receiving their Social Security benefits. Such disruptions began occurring recently after changes within the Social Security Administration.
If you are experiencing delays in receiving your benefits, please visit Pima County Attorney | The People’s Office https://www.pcao.pima.gov to report the details of your experience. It is a very brief form that takes seconds to fill out.
By providing information on the PCAO website, people can help us determine if particular areas within Pima County are being adversely affected.
Your Social Security checks and services should continue normally, but if you experience disruptions, please report them.
We could not have been prouder of our partners at 88-CRIME than we were watching the Tucson Police Department recognize the fine work of Program Director Babette McDonald and her team.
The program, which operates under the umbrella of the Pima County Attorney’s Office, received a Community Partnership Award from TPD for their collaboration on creating a podcast focused on solving cold-case homicides.
This is an example of the teamwork that goes into making Pima County safer and healthier for us all.
PCAO held its annual event to honor the work of our Victim Services Division during an April 11 luncheon at the Joel Valdez Library in downtown Tucson. The event, titled “Kinship, Connecting & Healing,” recognized the work over the past year by:
We are thankful to these honorees and all who provide support and comfort to the victims of crime in Pima County.
Victim Services Director Virginia Rodriguez was among the speakers at the Homicide Survivors Candlelight Vigil held at Children’s Memorial Park. We are grateful for the work of Homicide Survivors Inc. and all of our community partners who help provide justice and support for those who have lost loved ones to violent crime in our community.
In mid-April, our office joined Indivisible Tohono, the City of Tucson, the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, local and tribal law enforcement, and other community partners for the first joint work session of the Southern Arizona Task Force for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples.
This task force will make recommendations for sharing data, reviewing methods for identifying missing persons cases, identifying gaps in victim services, proposing policy changes, and establishing accountability measures. County Attorney Conover and Communications Director Shawndrea Thomas joined another 50 stakeholders in this important discussion, which will lead to a report to both city and county officials two years from now.
We applaud the work of our Civil lawyers and staff who leapt into research mode on a Monday night after we learned one member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors would not be attending the board meeting the following morning. This was important because the Supervisors were scheduled to vote on filling the vacancy left when Adelita Grijalva stepped down to run for Congress.
Dan Jurkowitz and Sam Brown looked into the legal requirements regarding quorum, majority and super majority requirements for making such an important appointment. The next day, all was clear, and Andres Cano was appointed to represent District 5. Congratulations Supervisor Cano! We look forward to working with you.
We recruit legal researchers, litigators, and professional staff who use their unique talents to move our Office forward. You’re invited to apply to work for a progressive prosecuting agency that values accountability, public service, and outcome-driven thinking.
We offer excellent work-life balance, great incentives, and a generous benefits package, including:
All open PCAO positions APPLY HERE
There are a variety of positions to apply for at PCAO
Here’s a look at some of the links to social media and podcast messages we’ve shared throughout the year.
Celebrating Arrow’s 7th birthday!
Laura visited Salpointe H.S., her alma mater, on career day to speak to students about a career in prosecution.
Employee Appreciation Day at PCAO!
The PCAO outreach team at a community cleanup on Tucson’s eastside.
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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