#WeekInJustice: Week 125
Justice in Pima County is humming right along.
Five new summer law clerks arrived at the Civil Unit Monday, and six to the Criminal Unit. It’s so awesome to have a full bullpen of eager, inspired, brilliant law students serving the community in this way. Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement is under way for the second time this year. CIT is a full week of training, post academy, for law enforcement to study mental health and practice de-escalation techniques.
Tiffany Tom from our Health Law Unit spoke about Title 36 proceedings for the Persistently and Acutely Disabled population, and I spoke about fentanyl, deflection, and the myriad courts we have in place to leverage treatment and increase accountability, as necessary.
The Tort Unit in the Civil Division successfully defended the County in a traffic claim.
And, last but certainly not least, we are participating in a PSA for June’s Gun Violence Awareness Month, partnering with Moms Demand Action, and beginning the first drafting stages of an Arizona Red Flag Law.
AND CHECK THIS OUT at week 20 of the calendar year:
County- wide homicides:
2021: 36
2022: 32
2023: 24
That’s a 30% reduction in homicides. Last year we had 126 homicide panel presentations, and in our “free time,” we handed out 18,463 gun locks. We are also partnered with TPD on a national violence reduction partnership.
We can do this. We can all work together, we can stay hopeful, and we can make progress.
To be continued,
Laura
