Community Prosecution Bureau Mission
We seek to build community.
We seek to improve the quality of life in Phoenix and to solve community problems for the long term by developing and executing strategies with members of the community along with government and private entities.
We seek restoration from those who have detracted from community.
The community prosecutor is an agent for positive change, and not merely a reactive element processing cases.
The community prosecutor may use prosecution as one of many strategies to make Phoenix a better place.
What is Community Prosecution?
Community Prosecution is solving problems. It involves a long-term, proactive partnership between the Prosecutor's Office, law enforcement, the community, and public and private organizations, whereby the authority of the Prosecutor's Office solves problems, improves public safety, and enhances the quality of life of community members.
The community prosecutors work hand in hand with the Phoenix Police Department's Community Action Officers, City Neighborhood Services Department inspectors, Development Services Department inspectors, community organizations, and neighborhood groups in the area, in addition to City Council. As community prosecutors, each is assigned a specific neighborhood that has been associated with a long-term problem or area of concern. They are responsible to the residents and work with them building the community and addressing problems and concerns, including gangs, graffiti, prostitution, alcohol-related problems, blight, transients, vandalism, noise, and littering.
Street Crime Reduction Program
A significant barrier to creating safe, attractive, family-friendly Phoenix neighborhoods is the criminal activities of a small number of career offenders who persistently commit crimes that diminish the quality of life for residents. These crimes are often misdemeanors like trespassing, drinking in public, and aggressive solicitation. First-time offenders may be offered a connection to programs to help address issues of homelessness, alcohol abuse, and other issues that contribute to criminal behavior.
The Street Crime Reduction Program focuses on offenders who make street crimes a way of life or who do not respond to the assistance of social service agencies. In this program, the worst “quality of life” offenders are identified by the Police Department and enhanced sentences are requested by the Prosecutor’s Office to prevent their return to the community they are disrupting. Community members attend court to provide community impact statements on the affect of the offender on their neighborhood. Through this program, offenders are learning that their conduct will not be tolerated.
Community Prosecutors
vacant - Palomino Community and Desert Horizon Precinct
Esteban Gomez - Central City Precinct
Bebe Parascandola - Westwood and Canyon Corridor Communities and Mountain View Precinct
Bob Smith - Hermosa Community and South Mountain Precinct
Liz Sugges - Ocotillo Community
Nathan Watts - Isaac Community
Patricia George - Domestic Violence, Veteran's Court, and Mental Health Court
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our mission is to fairly, efficiently, and justly prosecute those who violate the law. We seek justice for crime victims and endeavor to make Phoenix a safer community in which to live.
