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Cochise County attorney highlights expansion of drug diversion program and continued prosecution priorities
Summary
County Attorney Laurie Zuko said the office is expanding alternative prosecution programs, including a drug diversion initiative funded by a state/federal grant and planned opioid-settlement funds to sustain it after the grant ends.
Cochise County Attorney Laurie Zuko described the county attorney's office priorities and an expanded alternative-prosecution program that diverts low-level, first-time drug offenders into treatment instead of filing criminal complaints.
Zuko, who was elected county attorney last year after a write-in primary, said about 75–80% of the office's workload is criminal prosecutions and about 20% is civil work. "The main directive of the county attorney, is to direct public prosecutions. So about 75, 80 percent of the work that we do is prosecuting crimes on behalf of the state of Arizona," she said, and she listed staffing levels for felony, misdemeanor and juvenile attorneys.
On alternatives to prosecution, Zuko described a mental-health diversion program and a drug diversion initiative led by Kristana Watkins and Monica McCall. "She, went out and got a half a million dollar grant from the state and the feds to, start a drug diversion program ... We're focusing on low level first time offenders, usually simple possession cases, not drug sales cases," Zuko said. She said the program reaches potential participants before a criminal complaint is filed and that the office recently held its first graduation: "We just, last month, had our first, graduation ceremony ... we graduated 5 folks who had never even had the criminal complaint filed."
Zuko said she expects the program to continue after the grant ends because the office plans to use opioid-settlement funds to sustain it. "We just got word, this past week or so that we're going to be able to continue this program even when the grant runs out ... because we're going to, get some money from the opioid settlement, to keep it going," she said.
Zuko said she ran on maintaining steady criminal-division leadership and has appointed leadership that law enforcement supports. She said the office's civil division operates from a separate building and that hiring continues to fill authorized positions.
