Laura Conover

Pima County Attorney

Serving the residents of Tucson & surrounding communities across southern Arizona.

Pima County Attorney's Office To Remain Closed Until After MLK Holiday

View PCAO’s January 12 press release here.

COVID Outbreak Forces PCAO Staff to Telecommute until Wednesday

View PCAO’s January 10 press release here.

New Pima County Attorney Laura Conover Begins Tenure with Slate of Reforms

View Laura Conover’s January 4 press release here.

Pima County Attorney-elect Conover Addresses Staff, Introduces Leadership Team

View Laura Conover’s December 17 press release here.

A Review in Justice: Week 2 #FromLaura Our week b

A Review in Justice: Week 2
#FromLaura

Our week began early. On the morning of Saturday, Jan. 9, five attorneys were reporting positive Covid-19 tests and mild symptoms. Critically, those five felony trial attorneys belonged to two of the most critical, victim-centered trial units, bringing the number of healthy employees unacceptably close to the minimal number needed to maintain operations.

Our team worked hard to take operations remote, leaving the building nearly empty to be disinfected by County Facilities. Rick Unklesbay reported that it was likely the first closure in the building's history.

* Through the week, the Office's IT and Misdemeanor Units, in particular, pulled off an extraordinary feat, making sure justice didn't skip a beat despite the temporary loss of the building.

* The level of Covid-19 inside the Pima County Jail was equally concerning. The Office is partnering with the Public Defender to identify individuals who can and should be moved out quickly to allow the jail to distance people more safely.

* The backlog of cases awaiting resolution continues to grow. I have taken opportunities to publicly thank victims for their patience. The Office also had a chance to co-present with the PD's Office a Restorative Justice program proposal to Chief Presiding Judge Bryson, Chief Criminal Court Judge Liwski, and Judge Bergin. This would be a first-of-its-kind in the State. It's a critical 1st step regarding the case backlog and to improve justice for our community.

* I led an all-prosecutor meeting on cash bail to summarize the first week's observations and brainstorm what the Office can do to continue to disengage from cash in the system.

* With a slew of legislative proposals on the table, I was able to collaborate with other CAs across AZ to designate more successful completions of probation as misdemeanors to stem the collateral consequences of felony convictions.

* Last, and certainly not least, Andy Flagg, the head of the entire Civil Division, led a team of brilliant attorneys in responding to a lawsuit on the County's curfew. Many thanks for their tireless efforts to keep us all safe and healthy.

#ToBeContinued,
Laura

'The moral arc of the universe is long, but it ben

'The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.' - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King, as he so often and brilliantly did, borrowed these words and made them his own. The original text came from an 1853 sermon by abolitionist Unitarian minister Theodore Parker. Many have said in recent years that Dr. King's paraphrasing of Parker rings of 'magical thinking' and implies that, without the labor of community building, accountability and healing, justice will happen on its own.

Of course, Dr. King actually put in the hard work necessary to create change in our communities and seek justice for all. We ask everyone across Pima County to follow his example on this MLK Day by serving your fellow citizens safely and socially distant, virtually checking in on your friends and families, and giving generously to organizations doing the work Dr. King inspired throughout his life.

#MLKDay2021

Dan South, Chief of the criminal division, deliver

Dan South, Chief of the criminal division, delivers misdemeanor files to deputy county attorneys who'll be teleworking through the MLK holiday.

The building might be closed, but the pursuit of justice continues.

#ToBeContinued

#FromLaura "As the new County Attorney, I’d lik

#FromLaura

"As the new County Attorney, I’d like to provide the community with an update each Friday, to the best of my ability, on the week’s activities. The data of this Office is the People’s data, and I look forward to doing my best to make it so.

This week marked the arrival of the new Senior Leadership Team, serving with the first County Attorney to take over the Office from outside the agency since 1972. To that end, on Day One, in a small out-of-the way office, a beautifully preserved desk was discovered; indeed, it was Senator Dennis DeConcini’s desk, from his time as Pima County Attorney. He was the last candidate to run for Office from out in private practice, as I did so 48 years later.

This week we announced the first priorities for how to safely, responsibly, and meaningfully usher in criminal justice reform to Pima County. Hard work is underway on introducing a restorative justice program; reforming how our Office handles cash bail; setting the first Office-wide training on immigration consequences for the end of the month; and growing a dedicated Fraud Unit and a more robust Conviction and Sentence Integrity Unit.

With the County Attorney’s broad discretion, some steps were relatively easy. In the arena of cash bail, on the other hand, a behemoth community-wide effort will be required in order to wean ourselves off justice’s uncomfortable relationship with cash. However, in the meantime, I can say that having partnered with our deputies at eight of 10 initial appearances, we managed to hold people to prevent ongoing threat, and we also managed to release people who were arrested based on non-dangerous accusations instead of holding them on low cash bail.

Importantly, now that I can finally enter the 21-floor Legal Services Building, I am amazed, inspired, and excited about the good people working there under very difficult conditions. Making their working lives better, especially during Covid, is going to be a Herculean task. I can’t believe I’m so lucky to take a run at it."

#ToBeContinued...

Laura Conover

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Thank you for your patience as we rebuild our website.