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Even though the record-breaking summer heat has not yet given way to autumn, it is public outreach season for the People’s Office.
September saw plenty of opportunities to get out and introduce ourselves to Pima County residents, provide information about what our office does and share resources such as free gun locks, Narcan, bicycle reflectors and fun stuff like bouncy balls, hand fans and swag bags that can be colored with crayons.
We put out a call in early September for applications for the latest round of Anti-Racketeering Revolving Funds (ARRF) and will be accepting them though October 15. The fund, generated by seizures of monies associated with criminal activity, will go toward initiatives that focus on providing public housing for vulnerable populations, preventing elderly residents from being victims of crime, overdose prevention that includes Narcan distribution, and youth engagement to stop students from going from the classroom to prison.
To learn more about the ARRF program and get information about applying, click here.
On the somber anniversary of 9/11, Laura joined others from our office and area law enforcement for a remembrance of the lives lost that day in 2001 for the 911 Tower Challenge at the Tucson Convention Center. The group climbed 2,071 steps and shared memories of the unforgettable events of that day. See our social media post on it here.
On September 9, Laura met up with some old friends and made some new ones at the Las Vistas Neighborhood Fiesta at James Thomas Park, then joined the annual Mothers Against Drunk Driving Candlelight Vigil at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Both events were about promoting public safety in Pima County.
A few nights later, Laura had the privilege of addressing a dozen new graduates of the Drug Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program, in a ceremony at the Berger Performing Arts Center at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. This second DTAP graduating class of 2023 was recognized for making profound changes to overcome their drug dependency and begin to lead healthier and more productive lives. A special thanks to PCAO’s Nahrin Jabro for her hard work and commitment to making a difference with this program.
PCAO’s outreach crew spent the morning of Sunday, Sept. 17 at Mission Manner Park, where the Sunnyside Foundation hosted an event that included the 5k and 10k and “Burrito Run.” The event was well-attended and splendidly organized and run, with a virtual army of Sunnyside Unified School District student volunteers making the day easier for the dozens of vendors who came out to share information and goodies. Well done, Sunnyside Foundation, well done!
Our very own Sean Rambaran was in Kansas City, Missouri mid-month leading training sessions on crime analysis. One of the classes was called “From Moneyball to Misdemeanors: How Analysis Developed in Baseball and Policing” now THAT’S a title. Sean focused on how crime analysis evolved in a similar fashion to the analysis of baseball talent. He gave an overview of the modern approaches to analyzing information in both the baseball and criminal justice world. To learn more about the “Moneyball” approach has changed analysis outside of baseball – including criminal justice – check out this article in The Atlantic. Great job Sean!!!!
In partnership with Living Streets Alliance, The Amphi Neighborhood Association also held a Community Resource Fair at Literacy Connects on Saturday. Residents were able to access assistance with utilities, diapers, fresh produce, employment and more in multiple languages. Thirty-two different languages are spoken in the Amphi Neighborhood! Emmanuelle and Sofia were there with info and resources from PCAO and they speak French and Spanish respectively. This event will feed into Cyclovia next month and the route will take folks through the Amphi neighborhood.
The organizers of the safety resource fair at Child and Family Resources were as pleased and surprised as we were at the turnout on Saturday morning. Folks steadily streamed through for the two-hour event and Jocelyn and C.T. from The People’s Office handed out about 50 free gunlocks, a full box of Narcan and another of fentanyl test strips, dozens of bicycle reflectors, and lot of fun stuff like handheld fans and swag bags equipped with a box of crayons for coloring it.
We also shared valuable information from the Pima County Recorder’s office about how to prevent property fraud. Check out this link about Fraud Guard to find out how you can get alerts if someone tries to file paperwork under your name.
Emmanuelle Fahey led an Office-wide training as we prepare to pilot our very first adult Restorative Justice case. Prosecutors from throughout the Legal Services Building joined in person and virtually to learn about this promising approach to healing relationship harmed by crime.
Looking ahead to October and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, both our Domestic Violence (DV) Unit and other divisions have begun gearing up for a month of prevention.
It takes a great deal of time to prepare for October. Our DV Unit prepares to take on extra prevention work in addition to their heavy caseloads.
Our Detectives Division partners with all area law enforcement to create a high priority list of people charged with serious DV crimes who are fugitives from the law, for a specialized October task force to bring people to justice.
And our Victim Services Division engages in education and training around the critical topic.
But we don’t have to wait for October to deliver a critical message.
· Domestic violence is not limited by zip code. It can occur anywhere.
· Domestic violence does not contain itself by race or ethnicity. Anyone can be affected.
· And domestic violence does not recognize gender. Any gender can be victimized. All of us can suffer harm.
If we allow ourselves to believe domestic violence only happens in some places against certain people, then we will overlook those at the highest risk, and we will allow those who would commit ultimate acts of violence to go unchecked. We must keep an open mind that domestic violence can sometimes defy stereotypes, or our progress against DV will stagnate.
Fret not, desert friends! October promises to bring much needed cooler weather, with not a triple-digit day in the forecast!
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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