2022 Year in Review Maricopa County Attorney ’s Office Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell was appointed in April of 2022 and elected by the voters of Maricopa County in November 2022. Rebuilding trust in the office and with the community has been at the cornerstone of the office’s accomplishments over the past twelve months. Keeping the Community Safe The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) continues to conduct Valley-wide fentanyl education forums to help parents and families steer clear of this deadly drug. Prosecution has stepped up against cartels, drug dealers, and smugglers. Other safety initiatives include: • A new Organized Retail Theft Taskforce. • Hiring a new animal cruelty investigation specialist. • Dedicating resources to fight crime committed with guns and requiring mandatory prison for convicted felons who possess a gun. • Increasing advocacy for appropriate bond amounts to keep dangerous criminals – and those who are a flight risk – in custody. • Fighting the rise in catalytic converter thefts through focused prosecution, and by hosting free etching events to prevent thefts. Catalytic Converters Reducing Backlog of Cases for Review • Cleared backlog of 66 officer involved shootings. • Reduced the submittal backlog by 43% from approximately 10,500 cases to under 6,000 cases. • Prioritized the filing of more than 800 Aggravated DUI cases. • Completed a 5-year project to research, review and digitize more than 186,000 cases. Submittal Backlog When law enforcement submits a case for prosecution, it is important to review it and make a charging decision quickly. To return MCAO to that standard, the County Attorney allocated resources and streamlined procedures to the reduce backlogs 11000 8250 5500 2750 0 APR 2022 APR 2023 Police agencies investigate crimes. A submittal is when police are finished and the case is ready to be evaluated for potential prosecution. Clearing this backlog means more people will be held accountable for their crimes. Seek Justice • Love Mercy • Walk Humbly 2022 Year in Review M a r ic op a C o u nty Attorney ’s Of f i ce Increasing Transparency At the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, we believe it is imperative that neighborhoods county-wide know what we do and why. We have implemented new strategies to keep the community informed. • Holding bi-weekly, live-streamed news conferences with County Attorney Rachel Mitchell so reporters and the public receive regular and timely updates. • Hosting a law enforcement summit to link city police chiefs to Rachel Mitchell, the County’s top law enforcement official. • Participating in quarterly meetings with law enforcement leadership. • Prioritizing outreach to city and town mayors and councils. • Increasing public information to provide additional data regarding officer-involved shootings. Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Employees In the years prior to the appointment of Rachel Mitchell as Maricopa County Attorney, the office faced unprecedented staffing shortages. It was hard to hire new employees, and difficult to retain those already working at the agency. In response, MCAO made hiring a top priority by: • Launching a targeted nationwide recruitment campaign which resulted in the hiring of 197 new employees. • Creating a new program to reimburse new employees for moving expenses, and to cover the cost of licensing new, out-of-state lawyers to practice law in Arizona. • Advocating for more robust employee training programs. • Reinstating the paid law clerk program. Seek Justice • Love Mercy • Walk Humbly