The central character of the book, “Blood and Thunder” is a soldier whose adventures made him a legend. And much like Kit Carson’s respect for and understanding of the people of the Western Territories in the mid 1800’s, the Honorable (retired) Michael (“Mike’) McVey brings this same sense of fairness mixed with authority and truth as the acting Chief Deputy of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
 
After nearly 40 years as an attorney—20 of them as a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge—Mike rejoined MCAO last fall as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Group leading the more than 300 prosecutors in the Office, and last month he became the acting Chief Deputy of the Office expanding his scope of responsibility to include not only all prosecutors, but the Investigations, Victim Services and the Civil Services Divisions as well.
 
Mike’s lengthy tenure as a Judge was spent in the Criminal, Family, Juvenile and Civil Divisions of the Court, including multiple terms as both a Civil and Family Court judge. Mike thoroughly enjoyed his assignments and each rotation had its advantages; allowing him to understand how judicial decisions impact and affect human beings and how the best judges exhibit a temperament that includes patience, tact and courage along with a firm understanding of the issues and compassion for the community.
 
He not only acted as an arbitrator and mediator but also led with courage and knew what the right thing to do was even if it wasn’t the popular thing to do. All these are skills he is once again putting to the test as he leads in support of the County Attorney in the third largest County-based prosecution office in the country.
 
Following graduation from law school, Mike served as a City of Phoenix Prosecutor. He has been in and out of private practice and in the mid 1980’s he returned to what he loved the best, serving his community as a prosecutor, both here at MCAO and with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. He has successfully prosecuted white collar criminals, drug cases including dangerous drug cartels, civil forfeiture actions, and homicides, including capital cases.
 
While a family court judge, he ruled in the custody hearing of the “Baby Gabriel” matter and while in the criminal courts, he was the judge on several high-profile matters, including the infamous Wayne Prince death penalty trial and the Walter Elze murder case out of Sun City.
 
A man who recognizes the value of organization, he ensures his desk is neatly pulled together each morning (with the help of a very organized assistant) before he dives into the multitude of emails and issues awaiting at the start of each work day. He doesn’t limit himself to only what’s going in his office either, Mike regularly walks the floors of the administration building as well as the other buildings that house the MCAO team. He talks to prosecutors, detectives and advocates and asks them about their concerns and new ideas on how to do things differently.
 
Mike is an avid hiker who treks through the Canadian Rockies when he can and he has recently taken up scuba diving. He is also an avid fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks and ASU Sun Devils. Mike reads—and reads and reads—not only the hundreds of emails in his box each day but lots of historical stories and biographies. In addition to “Blood and Thunder,” his current reading stack includes “Unbroken” by Lauren Hillenbrand and the latest biography on George H.W. Bush. These books present a universal theme of resilience, respect and tenacity that resembles Mike’s approach to his work and the Office. When asked about his feelings about MCAO, Mike stated, “I am extremely blessed and grateful for the opportunity to serve the County Attorney, and the wonderful men and women of MCAO in our mission to seek justice with integrity on behalf of the people of Maricopa County each and every day.”

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) knows that ongoing training is essential to a prosecutor’s development – and to the growth of administrative professionals. A solid training program helps Office staff cement an overall framework of criminal justice and office skills to build on throughout their entire career. MCAO has created an extensive and in-depth program through its Training Bureau that begins when all new employees first arrive at the Office and spreads throughout their professional lives. Training begins with New Employee Orientation for prosecutors and administrative professionals. New employees are introduced to things like fundamentals of prosecution, general office policies and procedures, training on the electronic case management system, an overview of public records law, volunteer opportunities with the Office and community outreach.
 
Then as employees continue to grow in their MCAO careers, they receive additional training in areas such as trial advocacy, grand jury procedures, homicide prosecution and critical case management skills. In addition, there are presentations and ad-hoc training classes that vary from year to year and may include national presenters, professionalism, successful investigations, stress relief techniques and crime analysis. The MCAO Training Bureau also offers ongoing programs that provide prosecutors with updates on new and changing legislation as well as specific skills required to prosecute unique types of cases, like animal crimes or strangulation cases.
 
Training extends beyond just prosecutors’ legal skills and includes professional development for paralegals. For those who wish to promote to leadership positions within the Office, many often participate in training related to time management and leadership skills. The MCAO Training Bureau is working to make all this and more happen! This team of five people, including two seasoned prosecutors, a long-time paralegal and administrative professional staff are developing hundreds of training opportunities for MCAO employees annually.
 
Ryan Green, Bureau Chief for the Training Bureau and recent recipient of the Arizona State Bar 2019 Michael C. Cudahy Criminal Justice Award, is working to make the criminal justice system better through training. He started a few years ago by speaking at the beginning of shifts at the Phoenix Police Department. Offering tips on topics such as how to improve report writing and probable cause forms. “I know I am helping to make prosecutors better,” said Ryan. “As prosecutors we represent each other and we all want each other to succeed. Through solid and important training, with prosecutors and law enforcement, we provide good tools and help people learn from their mistakes.”
 
The digital revolution is giving the Office and the Training Bureau more to think about and more to learn about. Tasks like preparing evidence for trial and getting ready for witnesses or juries is different today than it was ten years ago. As a result, the training group meets regularly and reviews a variety of publications, as well as talking to prosecutors and judges to ensure they are keeping up with the latest technology and are in turn preparing applicable training classes. Often, the prosecutors in the Training Bureau second chair trials so they can remain current and help prosecutors be successful at the same time.
 
Karen Pugh, a long-time MCAO prosecutor and recent addition to the training team, is excited at the opportunity to support our prosecutors, “We want to have an impact by supporting prosecutors and there is nothing better than seeing Deputy County Attorneys excel, it’s a phenomenal feeling.” Ryan agrees, “Prosecutors have tough jobs and we try to support them in the different ways they need it.”
 
Paralegal and administrative professional staff essentials are available not only to new hires but also to MCAO employees who have promoted or changed positions. Laura Girard and Patti Coman, two veteran MCAO employees with nearly 50 years of experience between them teach basic classes like Outlook and Excel but are also experts in evidence.com (the Office’s body worn camera repository) and general office policies and procedures. Between the two of them, they can answer almost any question thrown their way. “What a great way to pass on everything I’ve learned,” said Patty. “With so many different subjects and an equal number of different students, no two days are the same.”
 

For more information on joining the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, visit:
MaricopaCountyAttorney.org/Careers

On April 12, the Moon Valley High School Police Science – Careers In Law Enforcement class had the opportunity to visit the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for a Teen Citizens Academy.
 
During the Academy, the class had the opportunity to meet professionals representing a variety of careers in law enforcement and criminal justice.
 
The day began with an overview of what the County Attorney’s Office does and how the role of a prosecutor is not to seek a conviction, but to seek justice on the merits of each case they handle.
 
The group then got a tour of the Superior Court and were able to see court proceedings first-hand. They even got to speak with a Superior Court judge who gave them some insight into how each case is handled in an objective and fair manner.

During the month of April, The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office joined many across Arizona and the nation in honoring and recognizing those who advocate on behalf of crime victims during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). Under the national theme of “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future,” it was Arizona’s official 36^th annual observance of NCVRW, and MCAO was proud to take part in two separate events to raise awareness for victims’ rights and show our gratitude to the members of our Office who work tirelessly on behalf of victims.
 
On April 9, MCAO held an internal Victims’ Rights Week awards ceremony to recognize members of the Office and community who have excelled in helping to create hope for the future in a victim’s life. The awards were given to the following recipients; Lou Giaquinto received the Service Legacy Award, Karla Ortiz received the Special Courage Award and Sharon Leonard received the Unsung Hero Award. Then, as a group, the Victim Compensation Bureau received the Enhanced Collaboration Award and together Dara Newton, Denise Lian, BriAnne Lange, Amanda Rodriguez, Colleen Hendricks and Enrique Prado received the Crime Victims Financial Restoration Award.
 
The following day, members of the Office gathered as the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office was a proud partner of a statewide award NCVRW event at the El Zaribah Shrine Auditorium in Phoenix. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery honored Appeals Bureau Chief Diane Meloche with the Justice for All award for her decades of service fighting to protect the rights of victims.
 
While national “Crime Victims’ Week” was originally proclaimed by President Ronald in 1981 to recognize the importance of giving crime victims a voice in the criminal justice system, it was not until 1984 that Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) which secured legal rights, protections, and services for victims of crime.
 
Arizona became one of the first states to introduce a constitutional amendment guaranteeing specific rights for crime victims in 1988. Additionally, in 1990, Arizona voters overwhelmingly passed an initiative creating the Arizona Victims’ Bill of Rights and in 1991 legislation was implemented guaranteeing specific rights for crime victims including the right to be present at criminal proceedings, to be heard in court and to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect. Our state also provides a range of support services, including financial assistance, to help crime victims and their families cope with the multiple impacts of a serious crime. To learn more about Victim’ Rights and services for victims visit our website MaricopaCountyAttorney.org/Victims

Fake Job Opportunities
College graduates should be aware of job scams.  With online job sites being the most common place to search for a position, young adults need to be wary. Do research on a company before applying online. Some warning signs:

• A job posting requests personal information, but the job doesn’t really exist.
• A “new hire” receives a check in the mail for thousands of dollars, told to deposit this check and then return a portion of the funds to pay for job costs.  The victim discovers the check is a fake and is out the money sent to the scammers.