Snow on the mountain peaks; warm sun on the desert floor.
Also this week:
We conducted 12 more attorney interviews, coincidentally, in Week 12. Ordinarily, the process would involve an interview team making recommendations to me, but we want to strengthen the workforce efficiently, so I, too, am in the interviews to expedite the process. And what joy that has been. It’s one thing to quietly read and research and study criminal justice reform, but it’s another blessing entirely to be here in this position and to receive an army of applicants asking to help join the ranks that will enact those reforms. The days are long and hard right now for the Office, and I honor each one of the PCAO employees who have hung in there through Covid, an increased workload, and seismic changes. The return to normalcy in the Office and the arrival of such additional positive energy is going to make the future bright.
Fraud Unit Update! It seems our new Fraud and Consumer Protection Unit officially opened just yesterday, but already the excitement in-house is producing results. By sharing scam and fraud patterns across agencies, our misdemeanor attorneys began collecting repeat construction frauds that have targeted homeowners. By combining allegations and loss amounts, people who repeatedly do this can and should be indicted for felonies in Superior Court where restitution for victims is more readily attainable. A huge thank you to the emerging team of Nick Spare, Arlene Leoni, Brad Terrace, Nic Misuraca, Lisa Kimpel and Det. Tim Hughes.
Masks: Pima County does not intend to trip up at the finish line of a pandemic. As long as the Board of Supervisors intends to keep mitigation efforts like masks in place, we will defend that in Court, if need be. Science, medicine and time are on our side. We’re going to stay masked, keep vaccinating and beat the virus. Pima Strong.
Finally, on a personal note, vaccination allowed Jack Chin (pictured above) to finally travel to Tucson to be here with us. The fruits of his labor in fraud and conviction integrity are already blooming, and it was sheer happiness to have him here to see it. He’s been a mentor to so many of us, including me, since his arrival at UA Law in 2003, and I can’t believe how fortunate we all are to have him here, PRO BONO, helping this administration.
To be continued,
Laura
