July served as a reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant of how politics can bring out the worst in some, how we must stand up for the most vulnerable among us — and provided “The People’s Office” the opportunity to continue working to make Pima County a safer and healthier place. Your July 2024 Community Newsletter has arrived.
Laura shares her thoughts about the future after winning a second term as Pima County’s top prosecutor.
Another national incident – the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania – led “The People’s Office” to take a stand on behalf of our local community.
Laura and other local leaders joined representatives of Common Defense, a national grassroots organization of veterans working to end political violence, for a press conference speaking out against the threat it presents this election season.
“The message I think we are all sharing today is very clear: political violence has no home in America. It has no home in democracy, and it has no home here in the state of Arizona.”
PCAO is working with law enforcement and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to provide training “to make sure the very right to vote will be free and fair and safe,” Laura told those at the event.
“We are talking about concrete, constructive training because Arizona law protects against voter intimidation. And so, we are making sure that local law enforcement, and statewide, have a total grasp of those laws and how they will protect every single voter, and make sure that the community knows there will be absolutely no tolerance for any who tries to infringe on that most basic, fundamental and important right.”
Laura speaks at press conference on political violence
In Laura’s weekly update to the community in mid-July, she offered a glimpse into the wide array of work that comes into play often in a single day. Here’s what she did on a particular Tuesday:
All in a day’s work.
As July was getting started, we felt compelled to stand up for the most vulnerable people in our community who had been recently vilified by a majority of the most powerful court in the land.
The decision released by the U.S. Supreme Court in the waning days of June provided a path for cities like ours to criminalize the act of sleeping outside, reversing an appellate court decision that prohibited cities from criminally charging unhoused people when no shelter is available to them.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover and Adelita Grijalva, chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors held a news conference on July 2, making clear that despite the SCOTUS decision, people in Pima County would not be treated as criminals simply because they have no place to go.
The decision in the case out of Grants Pass, Oregon is a misguided attempt to take people off the streets by putting them behind bars, Laura told local reporters.
It falsely suggests that we can arrest our way out of chronic homelessness, substance abuse disorder, or mental illness, she said. It is unfunded, leaving local police and prosecutors to finance jailing the homeless at the expense of other initiatives intended to make communities safer, distracting from more appropriate efforts to address illness, housing, and poverty that are making a difference.
“Most importantly, the Supreme Court is wrong. Morally, ethically wrong,” she said. “Despite the overwhelming challenges of COVID, homelessness, crime, and fentanyl, Pima County never lost sight of the humanity, and I’m here to make sure we don’t. While the Supreme Court is willing to tolerate cruelty, this community will not.”
Chair Grijalva noted the Pima County’s struggles with affordable housing stock and the limited funding needed to reduce or eliminate chronic homelessness and adding criminal charges is not the solution.
“I want to make one thing very clear,” she said. “We cannot arrest our way out of the problem facing our community members and many other communities across the nations. Being unhoused is not a crime.”
And in Pima County, it won’t be treated as one. Video of the press conference can be seen here
On some days, unexpected events can make work very difficult. On those days, it’s a blessing to have a talented and responsive team to keep things on track.
Here’s what Laura had to say about the Pima County and PCAO response to the CrowdStrike breakdown that affected computers throughout Pima County government and for Windows users worldwide.
“As the saying goes, not every hero wears a cape, and boy oh boy was that true today community wide. It began at 1:30 this morning when news of the CrowdStrike communications collapse hit the Pima County HR Department. Resolution efforts were immediately led by Pima County Chief Information Officer Javier Baca. He and his team members arrived downtown by 1:45 this morning to try to mitigate the damage. By 4:30 this morning, our head of IT at The People’s Office, Joseph Alvarez, and our legal administrator Nicole Heath, were mitigating the damage within our building.
For those of you out in the community who may not have been aware of the problems, I will simply say that for a short period of time, the damage was so bad, that emergency services went down. Again, thanks to IT heroes across town, many of our systems are already back up and running.
Just because disaster strikes, doesn’t mean justice can pause for even a moment. Each initial appearance, the first hearing in a criminal case, is a question of both liberty and public safety, and we got those critical hearings done by phone this morning as the only option.
And while morning court had to be canceled, our jury trials persisted on, the old-fashioned way by simply writing things out by hand. Getting our computers back up and running meant our team had to recover every single computer, one at a time. We captured these critical moments, and yes sometimes heroes wear government lanyards.
It’s days like these that I am so humbly reminded of the gift it is to be in this servant role lifting up the excellent work of these everyday heroes.”
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover was appointed to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Oversight Council on Driving or Operating Under the Influence Abatement.
Laura was sworn in on July 26, 2024
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover was appointed on Friday to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Oversight Council on Driving or Operating Under the Influence Abatement.
The Council is tasked with awarding grants from a dedicated fund to assist government agencies, including tribal governments, with programs designed to reduce incidents of driving under the influence as well as for enforcement, prosecution, and judicial efforts. Programs supported by the Council will include the use of emerging technologies to educate, prevent, or deter occurrences of driving both motor vehicles and boats under the influence.
Funding for the grants is provided by fines and assessments levied against people convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Conover was selected by Gov. Hobbs to fill a position on the council designated for a County Attorney after she was recommended by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council. She thanked the Governor for the appointment.
“I want to thank Katie Hobbs the Governor of Arizona. I want to most especially thank our new director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Jesse Torrez who made his way down here to Tucson to personally meet me and develop a relationship, and again I want to thank Jacob Fields, the GOHS Coordinator for Community Outreach for coming down to help me take the oath of office.”
Administrative support for the Council is provided through an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC). Quarterly reports will be provided to the Council to oversee the progress of programs receiving grants. The Council is required to submit an annual written report on the effectiveness of the programs supported by the grants on or before December 1 each year.
Conover will serve on the Oversight Council for the duration of her time as Pima County Attorney.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office is committed to restorative justice, transparency, and accountability as the focus of a mission that also seeks alternatives to incarceration when appropriate, provides support for victims, and strives to be inclusive and equitable to all segments of the communities we serve in the pursuit of public safety and wellbeing.
PCAO’s latest public awareness campaign was released in July, with three separate public service announcements intended to raise awareness of swimming pool safety.
Communications Director Shawndrea Thomas and Communications Coordinator/Videographer Tony Gallego developed the short videos, which focus on the importance of locking gates to home pools when no adult supervision is present.
We see our role in the community as stewards of public safety and health. That goes beyond holding people accountable for their actions through prosecution and supporting victims of crime.
Public service announcements on all manner of safety and health-related issues are another way we do our jobs.
Sadly, we have already had drownings of young children this summer. We hope to prevent future drownings in our community.
Part 1 of our 3-part campaign on water safety, a great collaboration with the Tucson Fire Department.
Water Safety Campaign Part 2
Water Safety Campaign Part 3
Laura and Vicki Otto talking to students during the High School Summer Enrichment Academy
Students were able to learn about all sides of the law and how it’s applied in today’s society.
Laura stopped on the 18th floor to meet some of our new summer interns. It’s always great to find out more about the lawyers of the future! A special welcome to Jazlyn, Brynn, Serena, and Kayla.
Our Victims Services Division is always looking for volunteers, we have a training program set for September and October.
We recruit legal researchers, litigators, and professional staff who use their unique talents to move our Office forward. You’re invited to apply to work for a progressive prosecuting agency that values accountability, public service, and outcome-driven thinking.
We offer excellent work-life balance, great incentives, and a generous benefits package, including:
All open PCAO positions APPLY HERE
There are a variety of positions to apply for at PCAO
Here’s a look at some of the links to social media and podcast messages we shared throughout February.
All Podcast episodes are available here:
https://thepeoplesofficepodcast.podbean.com/
Social Media Posts:
Road Rage
Pet Owners Heat Safety Tips
On a hot summer day, our team spent some time raising money for employee recognition events by selling Eegee’s to help build up our fund.
Summer in Tucson is always a good time to enjoy a tasty frozen treat!!!
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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