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Temperatures are continuing to soar in the Old Pueblo, all while school is back in session for students, parents, and teachers. As we wrap up a busy summer here at the Pima County Attorney’s Office we wanted to share some special moments from the last month. Your August PCAO newsletter has arrived!
More military veterans in Pima County will benefit from a City of Tucson justice program that significantly reduces repeat offenses because of an agreement between the People’s Office and the local judiciary.
On Thursday, Aug. 17, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover signed an agreement with the Regional Municipalities Veterans Treatment Court (RMVTC) that will provide the opportunity for veterans whose misdemeanor offenses occur in unincorporated Pima County to benefit from a proven program.
The RMVTC, previously available only for those who commit misdemeanor crimes within the boundaries of Tucson, is now available throughout Pima County after Conover signed an agreement along with Pima County Superior Court Presiding Judge Jeffrey Bergin, Green Valley Justice of the Peace Ray Carroll, and City Court Magistrate Thaddeus Semon during a ceremony at Tucson City Court.
The program, launched in 2008 under Judge Mike Pollard, offers unique opportunities to have cases heard in courtrooms where many judges, support staff, and attorneys share military experience.
The RMTCV program has become a national model for working with the unique situation of military veterans accused of misdemeanor crimes, bringing about a significant reduction in repeat offenses by veterans.
Judge Semon says national recidivism rates hover around 50 percent for veterans, those exposed to the RMTCV have had recidivism rates at around 15 percent. In other words, 85 percent of those veterans never return to the criminal justice system.
In early August, Laura joined a host of other law enforcement leaders for a news conference at the Tucson office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to make public a successful monthlong effort known as ‘Operation Clean House”. The initiative led to the arrests of 88 of the most violent people among us, including four homicide suspects, and the seizure of 9,000 doses of fentanyl and 10 guns.
As you can see the theme that we embraced so publicly is collaboration. All that we do here at PCAO is geared towards making our communities safer, by holding those who harm others accountable, taking care of victims, and offering alternatives to jail for people whose offenses don’t present an immediate threat to others. But we can’t do it alone.
We’re working with partners like Tucson Police, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the courts, and state and federal partners to accomplish our goals.
You can rest assured that those who lead partner agencies understand the need for collaboration as well and you will see more of it in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
PCAO hosted the Public Sector Communicator’s Meeting along with James Allerton from the Tucson International Airport – TUS Authority. Communications representatives from all over Southern Arizona attended to learn more about PCAO. After our team gave a presentation about what we do at The People’s Office, we were able to find out what other organizations have been up to over the summer. We’re looking forward to the next meeting scheduled for this fall.
It was a great opportunity to meet other communicators and learn about what they do to better our community. We want to give a special thanks to:
Banner Health Pima County Sheriff’s Department Tucson Police Department Central Arizona Project US National Weather Service Tucson Arizona Golder Ranch Fire District Pima County FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation U.S. Customs and Border Protection US Postal Inspection Service Tucson Fire Department Northwest Fire District Tucson Fire Department
Our team met with Dr. Da’Mond T. Holt from Fresh Start to talk about our participation in this year’s Fresh Start Expo set for October 21st. The program has grown, since starting up in 2019 there were about 400 participants at the Tucson Convention Center and now it stands at over 1,000 people who attended last year to help clear up warrants, marijuana expungements, and other legal issues. Visitors can also get employment, educational opportunities, clothing haircuts, and more.
We also attended a fundraising breakfast for Fresh Start. It was an awesome gathering as we gear up for the amazing expo that we participate in every year. Speakers talked about their experiences with the judicial system along with supporters who discussed solutions for issues that arise after incarceration. As stewards of the community, we will do what we can to help others who are working to get their lives back on track. For more details about the program check out the Fresh Start website.
Nicole joins our senior leadership team as our new Legal Administrator. Her job is to essentially act as the Administrative Manager for PCAO staff, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Finance teams that operate within The People’s Office. She directs the vital work of these departments while collaborating efforts between Pima County and PCAO.
Nicole has extensive experience in the public sector, having spent much of her career in state government – most recently as the Deputy Bureau Chief and Fraud Manager for the Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Records. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Arizona University, a master’s degree in public administration with a certificate in Participatory Governance from Arizona State University, and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Although Nicole is not native to Tucson or Pima County, she is passionate about making it her home. When she’s not at PCAO, she’s busy spending time with her children, her husband, or her dogs, and she’s taking advantage of the great outdoors, usually by finding someplace to run or hike.
As the Special Staff Assistant to the Legal Administrator, Brittney ensures that there’s clear communication between the Administrator and the professional staff at The People’s Office. She also provides administrative support to the Legal Administrator and assists on special projects.
Brittney is a recent Air Force retiree and has extensive experience with the Federal Government. She spent 21+ years in the Air Force as an air traffic controller and paralegal, and most recently working as the 12th Air Force’s Paralegal Manager.
She holds degrees in Art, Airway Sciences and Paralegal Studies. She has lived all over the world and worked in many different capacities for the Air Force.
As the new Community Justice Board Program Coordinator, Myreina will oversee restorative justice initiatives and collaborate with other PCAO staff to help youth repair harm caused by their actions while giving them essential life skills to succeed in the program.
Before moving to Tucson she worked for the Glendale Elementary School District as a social worker, then transitioned into the role of a Social Emotional Learning Specialist.
Myrenia is excited to continue working with youth and helping them realize their full potential while making key contributions to help expand the CJB program. The Phoenix native graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in social work and a passion for helping others. She’s looking forward to exploring Tucson, trying new foods, and playing tennis with her 6-year-old son.
Attention! We have a rare opening in Ajo! It’s known as a small town with a big backyard, where the summer spends its winter. Ajo is also one of USA Today’s best small towns in the American Southwest.
PCAO is looking for a full-time Victim Advocate to help crime victims heal and find justice in the community of Ajo. The Victim Services Division is a core function of The People’s Office, providing the support and advocacy needed to bring justice by making people whole again after being the victim of criminal activity.
The successful candidate will establish communication with victims and witnesses of crimes to provide crisis intervention services, advice on statutory rights of victims and keep them informed about the progress of the cases that have victimized them.
They also act as a liaison between victims, witnesses, and Pima County Attorney’s Office personnel, and offer referrals to available community resources that provide additional support.
The minimum qualifications for the position are a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social or behavioral science, criminal justice, public administration, or a closely related field of study approved by PCAO Human Resources, and at least one year of experience in one of those fields.
Graduates of the Pima County Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Crisis Training program and those with experience working with crime victims in the criminal justice system, crisis response and intervention, social service, or mental health service will be considered.
Proficiency in both English and Spanish is preferred. Interested job seekers can apply here.
The latest round of applications for ARRF (Anti-Racketeering Revolving Funds) will be accepted from September 6th -15th. The seized money will go towards initiatives that focus on second chance or vulnerable population housing, protecting the elderly from the effects of crime, overdose prevention, Narcan distribution, and youth engagement efforts to stop the school-to-prison pipeline. Click on the following link for the upcoming info session.
Our communications team covered several events during the month of August. Last Sunday, we attended the Enlightening Hope Project Overdose Awareness event where people shared stories about their loved ones and how to help those who need it. Laura spoke to the group and shared her thoughts about how we can do our part to help end the overdose epidemic and how justice reform affects the issue. You can see the YouTube video of her speaking here. Healthcare workers, First Responders, and Support Services workers were also in attendance.
Our communications team also set up shop at an open house/resource and job fair at Utterback Middle School. We always enjoy partnering with Utterback and its amazing Principal Taranika Sanders, we’ve seen them rise from an F-rated school to a high B!
C.T. Revere manned the table, answered a ton of questions, and handed out some goodies for visitors.
If you would like to have PCAO host a clean-up in your community feel free to reach out and send your request here!!
If you want to have PCAO host a clean up in your community reach out to our communications team!!
We at The People’s Office already know the wealth of knowledge provided by our Deputy County Attorney, Special Victims Training Director Victoria Otto. She leads training sessions here for prosecutors and other staff as well as our youth during the Summer High School Enrichment Academy. Now the Arizona Prosecuting Community has had a chance to benefit from her expertise. It’s so great to see a glowing letter of appreciation like this coming from the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council. We are proud to have Vicki on our team!
Meet John Dunne, he’s a legal secretary in the charging unit. He might work at PCAO by day, but by night he does cosplay and feature films. He’s our resident Power Ranger, Spawn, and Spiderman. Stay tuned to find out more about John, the contrast between his day job and his acting career(BTW a new movie is on the way), and what it’s like to work with his sisters at PCAO! We interviewed him about some of his adventures, you can check it out on our Instagram page.
We sold Eegees at The People’s Office to help raise money for our employee appreciation fund, it was a good day for a tasty treat! Well done PCAO!!
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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