The school year has ended and families are heading out to pools, libraries and community centers to beat the heat and have some fun. So are we!
 
MCAO staff volunteers will be out in the community for another season of Safe Kids Summer, to interact with kids and parents to share information about staying safe at home, in public and on the internet. We’ll have booths where kids can play games, answer age-appropriate safety questions and win small prizes. Our Community Affairs Coordinators will also be giving presentations based on nationally-recognized programs from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Through this program, kids learn the importance of making good choices and avoiding risky behavior.
 
It’s very important, especially this time of year when kids are not occupied by school work and activities, for parents and caregivers to pay attention to their child’s use of social media and multi-player game devices such as Xbox. Know who they are communicating with. It is through these avenues that predators or bullies are able to access your kids. Tell your kids not to allow someone they don’t know to participate in a multi-player game or engage in chats with someone they don’t know. Check in yourself to see who else is participating in games or who your kids are talking to. Let your kids know, that if someone online makes them feel bad or uncomfortable, they should come to you right away. For more on this topic, you can see my remarks from a recent press conference on our MCAO TV page at: youtu.be/wdhbZ21vUWs?t=130
 
Have a safe summer, but most of all, enjoy this time with your family.

Summer heat is here … and so are increased opportunities for crime 

Be Here For Kids

On May 25^th, MCAO participated in the ‘Be Here for Kids’ event hosted in partnership with state and local law enforcement, community groups and the United States Attorney's Office. This event, created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is designed to help parents and others teach children how to be aware, alert, and cautious to potential threats and to provide steps that children can take to stay safe, both on the internet and in daily life. 

MCAO Public Safety Programs Win Two National Achievement Awards

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office received two Criminal Justice and Public Safety awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for its innovative Restitution Specialist and Sex Assault Backlog programs.
 
“It is an honor to be recognized for the work we’ve accomplished in these areas, and we will continue to establish innovative programs that positively impact our community.” said County Attorney Bill Montgomery.
 
Restitution Specialist Program
The Arizona Victims’ Bill of Rights was created in 1990 giving rights to crime victims, including the right to receive restitution. However, navigating the court process to secure restitution can be difficult and time consuming. Cases may include multiple victims, with each having their own wage loss, medical bills, property repair or counseling fees. The creation of the Restitution Specialist program/positions within MCAO’s Victim Services Division provides assistance to victims in seeking the restitution owed to them. Restitution Specialists collect and assemble restitution information, coordinate with attorneys, victim advocates and staff members, and prepare any supporting documents required for court.
 
Sex Assault Backlog Program
More than 4,000 untested sexual assault kits consisting of evidence collected from victims have been identified in Maricopa County. Concerns that this backlog could discourage victims from coming forward and potentially give serial rape offenders the opportunity to commit additional sex crimes, led the Office to create a sexual assault backlog program. MCAO formed a multidisciplinary team to develop a victim-centered Sexual Assault Protocol for investigations, forensic medical exams, victim notification and prosecution of sex offenses. In its first year the program had almost 2,000 kits sent for testing, leading to five sex assault charges being filed and thus far, one conviction.
 
MCAO is also a proud collaborator in another program honored with a NACo achievement award. Juvenile Probation’s “Juvenile Court, County Attorney, and Juvenile Probation Expedited Case Process” won an achievement award in the category of Children and Youth.
 
The NACo Achievement Awards were started in 1970 to recognize innovative and effective county government programs that enhance services for residents. MCAO has earned 68 NACo Awards since 1990, 14 of these under County Attorney Bill Montgomery.
 
You can see the County Attorney talk about the awards from a recent press conference on MCAO TV at: youtu.be/sriPifN4h9Y?t=303

MCAO Remembers

On Memorial Day weekend, MCAO joined with community members and groups from across Arizona to place American flags at the headstones of our veterans buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.  This is a long-held tradition to remember and honor our fallen heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.

Damion Gosa Foundation: Serving Families in South Phoenix

Look Before You Lock: Don’t Leave Kids and Pets in a Parked Car

MCAO Carries the Torch for Special Olympics

On May 4^th, County Attorney Bill Montgomery and members of MCAO staff ran in the Arizona Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.

Thanks to employee support and participation, MCAO raised over $4,000 for the Special Olympics through casual day donations. Those who hit the streets to participate in the MCAO leg of the torch run also helped to raise awareness for Special Olympics and its programs.

MCAO Division Chief Vicki Kratovil retiring after 29 years 

After starting law school at age 30, MCAO Organized Crime Division Chief Vicki Kratovil knew right away she wanted to be a prosecutor.  Although prosecution was a second career path— after having spent six years working as a school psychologist—her first years working with students guided her in many ways through her 29 years at MCAO.   In her time here, Vicki has been prosecuting some of the worst of the worst. She has worked on major drug crime cases, wiretaps, embezzlement, political corruption and smuggling cases.  As she quickly learned, prosecution is not just a job, it is a career requiring particular dedication.  “Being a prosecutor is not easy; it takes time and mental and physical energy,” said Vicki.  “But the opportunity to protect the community makes it all worthwhile.  We are the last line of defense between the officers on the street and the protection of the community.”
 
Although Vicki’s prosecutorial experience has been primarily in Organized Crime, the breadth of her legal career also includes one year as a trained bailiff working for Judge Cates in Maricopa County Superior Court, and ten years as the Special Crimes Bureau Chief where she managed 7-10 prosecutors who were carrying dangerous caseloads prosecuting crimes involving drop houses, auto theft and kidnapping. Her bureau also managed successful prosecutions of several law enforcement officer defendants. 
 
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery promoted Vicki to Division Chief of the newly created Organized Crime Division in mid-2014, “Organized crime continues to be one of the most difficult areas of criminal investigation and prosecution.  Fast forward 30 years and Vicki’s hard work and dedication have helped make our Office and our prosecutors powerful tools in the battle against drug and organized crimes.”
 
Under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Division, Vicki manages four prosecution bureaus: Asset Recovery, Drug Enforcement, Fraud and Identity Theft and Special Crimes.  This includes more than 40 prosecutors, 20 paralegals and 20 support staff.  Peter Spaw, Asset Recovery Bureau Chief, will miss Vicki’s attention to detail and her sense of humor, “Vicki is as focused on forfeiture prosecutions as she is on criminal prosecutions. During discussions considering resolution of some forfeiture case, it is not uncommon for her to look up from the adding machine and tell me, ‘Neither felons nor Franklins walk out of this Office on my watch.’” Peter continues, “She is one of the most caring and devoted prosecutors I have worked with in my nearly 20 years at the MCAO.”
 
The devastating murder of a paralegal in our office a few years ago had a significant impact on Vicki.  She attended the funeral services and arrived to a packed church. There were other MCAO employees in attendance, but among the throngs of people she saw, most were not from MCAO. The service was filled with friends and family members of the paralegal who had all known her outside the office. This was a turning point for Vicki as she started to consider who might attend her own funeral. The past years had been spent working, with little time or interest in pursuing a life outside the Office. From that point forward, Vicki worked hard on balancing her personal and work life - which ultimately culminates in her retirement celebration later next month. 
 
As Vicki prepares to wrap-up her career here at MCAO, she has several plans and won’t be resting … she will be criss-crossing the country visiting friends and family. After returning, she will be welcoming a new addition to the family as she adopts the first (of many?) rescue dogs and begins giving her time as a volunteer at one of the busy animal welfare organizations in the Valley.  Between dog walks and puppy-proofing, Vicki will also make a dent in the stacks and stacks of books she has been waiting to read, and will finish several of the quilting projects she has started, but had no time to complete. 
 
“Being a prosecutor at MCAO has been the best job ever.   There is something new and interesting every day, you never stop learning.   When I am driving and see the nighttime twinkling panorama of the Valley, I feel proud to be part of the law enforcement community that makes the Valley safe.” 

Spring Anti-DUI Campaign a Record-Breaking Success

 
Key Criminal Justice Priorities to Become Law
on August 9

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has been working with the Legislature to enact new provisions that will strengthen criminal justice in our State. Here are some key bills that have been signed by Governor Ducey and will take effect on August 9, 2017.
 
HB 2238: Child Sex Trafficking
Those convicted of Child Sex Trafficking, who are otherwise eligible for probation, may be sentenced to a period of probation up to and including their lifetime if the court determines that it is appropriate for the ends of justice.
 
HB 2239: Incompetent Non-Restorable Dangerous Offenders
The aim of this bill is to improve communications between the courts and mental health facilities to ensure that public safety is protected when a potentially dangerous offender might be released. By improving notifications and sending defendants back to the criminal court system if they are not progressing in their mental health program, there will be greater assurance that a person won't be released without proper supervision by either a mental health professional or members of the criminal justice system.
 
HB 2240: Alternate Grand Juror (A.R.S. 21-401)
Under this bill, alternate grand jurors will be sworn in at the time the grand jury is impaneled rather than when they are called to replace another grand juror. 
 
HB 2241: Endorsement of Victim’s Counsel on Pleadings (A.R.S. 13-4437)
Amends A.R.S. 13-4437 to provide that when counsel for a victim has filed notice of appearance in a criminal case, the victim’s attorney will be provided with copies of all pleadings relating to matters involving their client.

MCAO Public Records Request numbers continue to climb 

The demand for information continues to increase as MCAO handled 1,277 public records requests last year, double the number of requests in 2015. 
 
Requests come from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, defense attorneys, prosecutors from other jurisdictions, prison inmates, students, businesses and members of the public.  The types of requests range from case documents to prosecution statistics to historical data, all of which are reviewed by assigned attorneys and processed by two paralegals, support staff and the Custodian of Records.  Adding two new twists to the world of public records requests at the MCAO is the Office’s recent digital conversion and the increased use of body camera footage by law enforcement agencies.
 
In March, MCAO became the largest prosecutor’s office in the country to transition their criminal functions from paper files to digital.  The switch to electronic files not only increases the Office’s overall efficiency, but saves time processing public records requests and gives members of the public records team quicker access to materials.  In addition, more local law enforcement agencies have adopted the use of body worn cameras in the past two years, increasing the number of public records requests for this material at the same time.  Body-worn cameras are a new medium to many agencies and require special technology and expertise in order to review and redact.  The Arizona State Library and Archives Law Enforcement Work Group recently concluded a body camera retention schedule which provides guidance on privacy, access, redaction and public disclosure surrounding body cameras. 
 
Local organizations and task forces such as the Arizona Law Enforcement Records Manager’s Association (AZ LERMA) and the Arizona State Library and Archives are keeping up with these changes and offer guidance and training on everything from retention schedules to records management to destruction schedules.  The MCAO public records team participates regularly with these groups and others in order to learn more about how other jurisdictions handle requests and pass along knowledge based on our public records experience. 
 
MCAO Public Records Attorney, Mary Ondreyco, attended a recent AZ LERMA meeting hosted by the Scottsdale Police Department.  More than 40 attendees convened from all over the state to exchange ideas, and to discuss redaction best practices as well as public records processes.  “It was great to collaborate with so many jurisdictions, especially the smaller ones.  There are always opportunities for improvement in the public records process – particularly in light of the increased use of digital and electronic technologies such as body cameras.  It is nice to be able to learn from and teach each other the ‘secrets to our public records success.”
 
In 2016, the Arizona Legislature passed HB 2383. This bill protects a crime victim’s privacy in public records by requiring a requesting party to establish that the public’s interest in disclosure of images outweighs the victim’s (or minor witness’) interests in privacy prior to the release of any record containing the image of a victim or minor witness. This law also requires the redaction of personal identifying and location information of a crime witness from public records. MCAO will continue to support legislation like this that not only safeguards the rights of crime victims and witnesses, but also helps establish accepted practices for processing public records. 


Public records requests can be made by calling the MCAO’s Public Information Officer or by completing and submitting an online form: MaricopaCountyAttorney.org/221/Public-Records-Requests.

Upcoming Events Calendar

Safe Kids Summer (SKS) @ Westgate Entertainment District

Friday, June 2
6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Westgate Entertainment District - Fountain Park
6751 North Sunset Boulevard
Glendale, AZ 85305

Cases of Community Interest