#JusticeinPimaCounty: Week 86
To the extent that the Weekly is the opportunity to let the community know what transpired in the justice system over the past week, sometimes the news is just devastating. But we have to be forthright about all that we are dealing with, and it’s important from an educational and informational standpoint that the community knows the full measure of what the agency is tasked with managing.
And sometimes the Week in Review might focus on the events that transpire within a matter of hours, as they did yesterday afternoon:
• Upon receiving word of a developing officer involved shooting, our criminal chief Bruce Chalk went out to the scene to observe.
• Upon receiving word that a constable had been shot and killed in the line of duty, her attorney, our Civil Chief Sam Brown reached the Chief Constable to help manage the unfolding crisis.
• Upon receiving word that a Pima County grand jury had returned a criminal charge in the officer involved shooting involving the death of Richard Lee Richards at the Lowe’s last November, our team prepared to deliver the news to the community.
All of this occurred within approximately a two-hour window.
And so, given the structure of PCAO, the People’s Office, our criminal team flew to action, our civil team flew to aid their clients, and our communications team held things down under a flood of calls.
But yet, one more critical unit within PCAO rose to the occasion: our Victim Services Division was at the central constables’ office within minutes to help with the death notification for Constable Martinez’s co-workers and staff.
This part here provides us some tiny glimmer of silver lining, a sliver of hope. Because when you must receive heart-stopping news, having professionally trained advocates there to ease you, to provide comfort, to listen, to support, to provide resources, to offer the warmth of highly trained trauma dog, this all makes a world of difference.
May we all rest and hold each other in grace this weekend.
To be continued…
Laura
#PimaStrong
#TucsonTogether
