Local Opinion: Collaboration, hard work has reduced violent crime

The community has heard the chief and me both speak frequently about the homicide spike that began in March of 2020 and persisted through 2022.

We arrived at the start of my term at the Pima County Attorney’s Office in 2021 to face a backlog of 144 homicides in desperate need of resolution going back to 2017. Over the following months, 116 more homicides occurred in 2021, pushing both regional public safety and PCAO workforces to their limits.

We collectively knew that far too many Tucson and Pima County families were being negatively impacted and that reducing violent crime had to be a top priority for our community and local government.

At PCAO, beyond significant organizational restructuring and a focus on prosecuting violent crimes, a deliberative body of the County Attorney and senior prosecutors called the Homicide Panel was re-started. We increased the frequency of the panel, meeting every Monday to hear presentations that helped us resolve homicide cases.

To combat the rising tide of violent crime, especially the concerning number of homicides, the mayor and council — working with the Tucson Police Department (TPD) — adopted an evidence-based approach to resource allocation. This strategy involves a combination of proactive methods like Problem Oriented Precision Policing (POPP) and Place Network Investigations (PNI), which target high-crime areas with a historical concentration of violent gun offenses.

The results, from last year to this: homicides are down 30%. From two years ago to now, homicides are down 37%. These local trends exceed a national downturn in homicides, and far exceed the decline in Arizona, with the City of Phoenix showing a 10% reduction.

A review of the fine details: TPD has significantly enhanced its investigative capabilities to address crime promptly and effectively. Measures such as the implementation of a Tactical Investigations model for immediate support after crimes like homicides occur, active involvement in the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, pursuit of Crime Gun Intelligence Center status, and the addition of a second National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) machine have contributed to the remarkable results.

As a result of these initiatives and the addition of agency resources, the YTD homicide case resolution rate stands at an impressive 80%, well above the national average. PCAO handed out 18,463 gun locks last year though out community outreach efforts on nights and weekends, and TPD has removed more than 1,300 guns off city streets year to date.

Perhaps most fascinatingly, the weekly Homicide Panel that was such a difficult strain on time and treasure, led to the creation of a weekly “Think Tank” where the brightest prosecutorial minds paired with the most seasoned homicide detectives meet in organic intel sessions where they discuss and dissect patterns of violent crime in our county.

Our achievements reflect our steadfast commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our community through targeted and effective measures against violent crime, while seeking justice for victims.

The conclusion is clear to all of us: Collaboration works.

Pima County Attorney’s Office continues to show that metro collaboration is both possible and optimal. The reduction in the homicide rate is attributed to so very many: Mayor and Council, County Administration and the Board of Supervisors, Public Health officials, the Sheriff, local police chiefs, and The People’s Office, all in collaboration to resolve cases, to identify needs, and to act in prevention.

We are energized by our progress. Rest assured, we will roll up our sleeves and do even more.