June started with a flurry of change and acknowledgment, then normalized with courtroom accomplishments and lots of activity that reflects PCAO’s moniker of “The People’s Office. Your June 2024 Community Newsletter has arrived.
June started on a sobering note that raised a significant concern as we move into the political campaign season.
Threatening remarks made to the Pima County Board of Supervisors at their first June meeting raised the specter of unrest during the upcoming elections, putting the Pima County Attorney’s Office in the challenging position of holding accountable those who make threats or incite violence by others while also defending the right to free speech.
The nature of comments made by a citizen during call to the audience required a protective response from our office and County Attorney Laura Conover provided that by engaging all 18 federal law enforcement partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As we move toward November, it will be increasingly important that we set a hard line that makes clear that calls for violence will not be tolerated. Though we don’t expect this to become an issue in our beloved community, we stand ready to take action to ensure it doesn’t happen here.
Our prosecutors were very busy during June, appearing in court on numerous cases that had been awaiting resolution after coming out of the backlog of COVID-era cases that awaited this administration from the start.
Four felony trials were underway in that first week of June as we set new marks for trial rates by the office. While seeking justice for the victims who have been waiting too long is a good thing, we remain watchful about the Court rushing toward potential injustice for victims and defendants. Meanwhile, we are encouraged by a 43 percent decline in Pima County homicide rate compared to two years ago.
Later in the month, PCAO prosecutors were in Pima County Superior Court for a high-profile sentencing on a case that had a profound effect on the community – the 2022 slaying of University of Arizona Hydrology Professor Thomas Meixner.
Judge Howard Fell sentenced convicted killer Murad Dervish, a former graduate student in the department led by Meixner, to spend the rest of his life in prison with no opportunity for parole. The sentence for first-degree murder also included an additional 14 years for burglary, aggravated assault, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor, and endangerment.
The case has had a traumatic impact on victims at the University of Arizona and throughout our community and could have devolved into a highly charged spectacle. But after the nine-day trial, jurors took less than three hours to find Dervish guilty and all parties involved received good marks from the bench.
“The Court thanked all four attorneys, two defenders and two prosecutors, and noted that in his decades on the bench, he had never seen attorneys hold themselves up to such high levels of professionalism and grace, to each other, to the jurors, to all,” Laura said in a post-sentencing statement to the community. “And I certainly could not be prouder of the prosecutors modeling such behavior.”
In honor of Professor Meixner’s family’s expressed wishes, Laura will continue to work toward a statewide “Red Flag Law” aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of those known to present a threat to others.
The Civil Division at PCAO held emergency meetings to address two budget decisions made by the Arizona Legislature this session. One meeting was to discuss that body’s decision to sweep funds from the Opioid Settlement, which is intended for use in combating the unprecedented opioid epidemic led by the influx of fentanyl in our community,
The other was to address lawmakers’ decision to sweep away Law Enforcement Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund (ARRF) monies that allocate seizures of illegally obtained funds to support anti-racketeering efforts.
Our attorneys continue to explore litigation options available to keep these funds in place.
The last relic of the Cold War is now the property of Pima County.
Ownership of the Titan Missile Museum, located south of Tucson, was transferred to Pima County after nearly three years of coordination that included PCAO’s Civil Division, other Pima County departments, the National Park Service, the State Historic Preservation Office and other stakeholders.
The silo is the last remaining artifact of a program that once stood guard over the United States, providing credible deterrence at the height of the Cold War. It was once the home of 18 Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), ready to launch at less than a minute’s notice.
Under Pima County’s ownership, the Titan Missile Museum will remain open to the public. To learn much more about the museum’s history and link to the Cold War effort, click here.
Laura spent a day teaching ethics in Phoenix at the invitation of the State Bar. She’s been sharing her knowledge with other attorneys and staff for over 10 years. Go Laura!!
Outside of the courtroom, we in “The People’s Office” continued the administration’s focus on supporting the community through training, engagement, and recognition of the incredible work that so many do in the interest of a safer and healthier Pima County.
On June 6, we joined the latest group of graduates from our Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program as they celebrated graduation and the chance of a fresh start with their families and supporters. Twenty-five people who chose to invest in their health and well-being to overcome addiction reclaimed their lives that evening against long odds. Laura, as always, gave the new graduates a pep talk in advance of the ceremony.
The following Saturday, we turned the multipurpose room at the Kino Sports Complex into a literal ballroom as we celebrated nine amazing Pima County citizens who go above and beyond to make our community a safer one.
The annual PCAO Community Safety Awards recognized some otherwise regular folks who take it upon themselves to help others in pursuit of a safer and healthier Pima County. The honorees were:
We truly appreciate the efforts of these nine fine Pima County residents and those whose good deeds will be considered for next year’s Community Safety Awards.
Christina Medvescek
Maria Viany Valdez-Cardeas
Anastasia Bradley
Bailey Laursen
Shawn Wooll
Kaya Newberry
Jahmar Francis
Elisa Diaz- Bermudez
Other PCAO activity outside the courtroom in June included meeting the community and sharing knowledge with other law enforcement professionals. Here’s how.
Laura and our outreach crew joined the community at the Kino Sports Complex on June 15 for the annual Juneteenth celebration. Laura was among the officials on stage at the opening ceremony and our outreach team, including volunteers from the office, staffed a table with free stuff that included boxes of Narcan, gun locks, bicycle reflectors, and more. And we made new friends along the way!
Criminal Intelligence Analyst Sean Rambaran represented PCAO when he spoke this month at the Mid-America Regional Crime Analysis Network (MARCAN) training conference. The conference, which was held outside Kansas City, hosted over 80 analysts from law enforcement agencies in the area. Sean spoke about courtroom testimony and the role of an analyst in a prosecutor’s office. He enjoys traveling to teach and present at analyst conferences, and he’s done so in five different states across the country.
Laura made the trip up Mt. Lemmon to join our incredible and fully staffed Victim Services Division on their much needed and well-deserved respite from their tough work.
And PCAO hosted an absolutely fascinating group of lawyers from the Congressional Office of International Leadership. The inspiring group worked as Human Rights and Special Victims Lawyers in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia. They were supposed to be learning about our system, but their powerful presence offered lessons for us.
A pair of major health and safety issues came to the forefront in June that called for statements from Laura and PCAO.
It’s been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the protections of Roe v Wade and set leaders in law and politics on a mission to continue protecting reproductive rights. Read Laura’s comments when the anniversary of the Dobbs v Jackson decision came around.
Another more recent Supreme Court ruling also caught our attention here in Pima County and called for our response.
In the waning days of the month, amid a flurry of announcements from the high court, came a decision that opens the door for cities to enforce bans on people sleeping outdoors. To be clear, this means those among us who are unhoused. Here’s what Laura had to say about this.
“Regarding homelessness, the Ninth Circuit had developed an excellent rule. If there is bed space available and a person refuses services, authorities could proceed under trespass guidelines,” she said. “But now the U.S. Supreme Court has turned that on its head by saying that even when there’s no space available, we can just pretend that people are deliberately outside in 105-degree heat. Let me be clear, when criminal behavior is afoot, we have and will continue to hold people accountable. But arresting people for sleeping is not the way. Fortunately, I don’t foresee our local authorities using precious resources in an attempt to arrest our way out of chronic illness. While the Supreme Court might tolerate cruelty, our community does not.”
Our counterparts in Pima County government had this to say:
“Pima County struggles with affordable housing availability and the necessary funding to reduce or eliminate acute or chronic homelessness. We cannot arrest our way out of the problem and simply being unhoused is not a crime,” Pima County administration said. “If a homeless encampment is a problem, we have a longstanding policy to deploy assistance resources to these areas and affect relocations before requiring people to leave an area.” You can see the press conference here.
Also, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in late June declared gun violence to be a public health crisis in America. The declaration promises to help those who believe common-sense gun laws will help reduce gun-related deaths.
“Surgeon General Murthy’s declaration of gun violence as a public health crisis promises to elevate the discussion across the nation and provide support for those of us in the trenches fighting a gun violence epidemic'” Laura said in response to the announcement. “Only yesterday, after the sentencing of convicted shooter Murad Dervish for killing UA Professor Thomas Meixner, I renewed my promise to pursue legislative passage of a “red flag” law in Arizona as common-sense reform.
“Having taken office amid a COVID-fueled spike in gun violence, I have seen repeatedly the tragic cost in life from gun violence, and I remain committed to doing my part in addressing what clearly is a public health crisis. My office will continue to work with the Board of Supervisors, the Pima County Health Department, and law enforcement to find remedies to gun violence in Pima County, even as we do the work of holding accountable those who commit gun-related crimes.”
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:
Healthcare Options
Paid Leave Options
Flexible Work Arrangements
Retirement Benefits
Education Reimbursement Program
Tuition Discount Program
Employee Loan Program
Employee Referral Incentive Program
Wellness Program with up to $75 monthly medical premium discounts
Employee discounts for fitness clubs, goods and services
Pima County provides equal access and equal opportunity in employment and services and does not discriminate. View the Pima County Attorney’s Office EEO Utilization Report.
All open PCAO positions APPLY HERE
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:
Pride Month
Juneteenth
Gun Violence Prevention Month
Anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson
Part 1 of our 3-part campaign on water safety, a great collaboration with the Tucson Fire Department.
On an entertaining front, fellow PCAO Civil Division attorneys James Rappaport and Rebecca O’Brien joined the Tucson Repertory Orchestra for a performance at the University of Arizona’s Crowder Hall in early June.
With Rebecca on flute and James playing cello, they showed their musical chops on Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, and Grieg’s Piano Concerto, which featured Professor Fanya Lin on the keys.
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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