February 2024 Newsletter

Career Opportunities | News Releases

The Importance of Appropriate Bail Bonds

A Financial Guarantee: A bail bond is an element of the criminal justice system that ensures a defendant's return to court while awaiting trial. Bail bonds are determined within 24 hours of an arrest. 

More Than One Type: Different bail bonds are used depending on the crime committed and the defendant's criminal history.  

• Cash Only Bond: Requires the defendant to pay the full amount in cash. 
• Secured Appearance Bond: Defendant is required to provide 10% cash and supplement the rest with collateral assets.
• Non-bondable: In the most serious offenses, the defendant is held in custody without bond. 

Listen to County Attorney Rachel Mitchell explain why appropriate bail bonds are important in keeping our communities safe. 

Addressing Repeat Offenders of Organized Retail Crime 

What's the Problem? Many organized retail crime cases occur over various jurisdictions, as these individuals go from store to store and city to city taking thousands of dollars in merchandise. In many of these cases, the punishment efforts are limited under current Arizona law. 

How are we going to fix it? In an effort to curb this practice, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell recently announced her support for House Bill 2435, a bill that would increase the sentencing range for those who commit more than three offenses of organized retail theft. 

Reminder: Organized retail crime is not a one-off theft of a single item, but a coordinated scheme to steal large amounts of merchandise and then resell it.

Encourage Teens to Have Healthy Relationships 

Talk To Your Teens: February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, a time to encourage teens and young adults to learn about healthy relationships and the warning signs of an abusive one.

Limited Experience: Unlike adults, teens have limited experience in relationships and may not recognize what they're experiencing as abuse. Teen dating violence is a pattern of any combination of physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual abuse used by one person to exert power and control over another in a relationship. In many cases, emotional and psychological abuse can severely affect a teen's development and have lifelong consequences. 

Set The Example: Kids and teens learn about healthy relationships from their parents. Set a good example by practicing boundaries, having healthy communication, showing mutual respect, and supporting one another. 

Scottsdale Community Forum on Fentanyl

🚨Did you know that over 40 million fentanyl pills were seized in Arizona last year? According to the DEA, Arizona has become a major hub for fentanyl entering the United States. This isn't just a statistic — it's a dire reality that affects us all.

⚠Too Deadly to Ignore: Families cannot afford to turn a blind eye and not talk about to the dangers of fentanyl. 

💡 Awareness and Education: We urge you to be part of the conversation at our upcoming Fentanyl Forum on Monday, March 4 at Notre Dame Preparatory High School in North Scottsdale. Parents, teachers, and teens: your presence is vital in safeguarding our communities! 

Your Reponses! 

Thank you everyone who responded to the survey in our previous newsletter. Here are the top responses in each category. We will be including information on each of these topics in our future newsletters. 

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