NACo Awards

Edition

Maricopa County is seen as a national model of government excellence, and in 2022, our programs and services received 43 achievement awards from the National Association of Counties.  Many of these programs arose from the realities of the pandemic and the need to serve people in a new way.  On August 24, we recognized NACo winners at a ceremony at the County Administration Building.  In this edition of Maricopa Currents, we're sharing the highlights of that ceremony--and our winning programs-- with you because, ultimately, these awards are about all of us, together, serving our community during a time of great need.

Watch full ceremony >

View awards slideshow >

View photos from awards show >

Watch the award winners "Love Maricopa Gov" >

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHTS

Sequential Intercept Model- Innovation Studio, Superior Court

It’s not often a single project brings together so many county departments, elected offices, and courts.  But the Sequential Intercept Model, led by the Innovation Studio, is no ordinary project.  It’s made up of a team of 80 internal and external justice system stakeholders including Adult Probation, Correctional Health, County Attorney, Human Services, Public Defense Services, Public Health, Sheriff’s Office, and Superior Court as well as the Board of Supervisors and County Administration.  The goal: diverting people experiencing mental illness out of jail and into treatment.  The project, started in 2019, identified more than 300 pain points in a system which resulted in folks with mental illness staying in jail longer than people without mental illness.  The program also identified opportunities and solutions including a new Mental Health Unit to help justice-involved individuals with mental illness navigate the justice system and a Mental Health Court Model that brings multiple courts together to share data.  This is the most extensive sequential intercept model that has been developed in the United States.

Pathways Recording Arts and Music Production Program - School Superintendent's Office, Juvenile Probation

The County's juvenile detention center is home to what some people call "disconnected youth" who are not in school or in the workforce.  With the "Pathways Recording Arts and Music Production Program," the School Superintendent's Office and Juvenile Probation Department provide kids a way to stay engaged in school while also learning to write and record music.  The program seems to making a difference.  Prior to "Pathways," the school participation rate for juvenile defendants was 81%.  Now, it's 95%.

AWARD WINNERS IN BRIEF

• The County Attorney's Office created the Proposition 207 program to help people expunge past convictions for personal marijuana use.

• Environmental Services implemented a new system for handling complaint investigations, resulting in more than 50% of investigations being closed within one day and 75% within three days.

• OET designed an information security scorecard to track the progress of different technologies employed by county departments and offices.

• Parks and Recreation is training members of the public to identify and map invasive species in our parks so they can be removed.

BY THE NUMBERS

4,900

The number of criminal court hearings held virtually via iPad (as of Feb. 2022) as part of MCSO and Superior Court's Jail Tablet Hearing and Smart CART program.

21,000

The number of screenings conducted by the Juvenile Probation Department between 2017 and 2021 to identify youth at high risk of sex trafficking.

$300,000

The estimated annual savings of the Clerk of the Superior Court's program to automate data entry.

50%

The percentage of "Hotels to Housing" participants who were able to secure permanent housing following their temporary stay in hotels set up by Human Services.

IN OTHER NEWS

• The Workday migration begins Monday, September 19 for payroll, benefits, and more.  Visit the project page for details and training opportunities.

• Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15.  Of the County's 10,549 employees (Judicial Branch not included), 3,052 identify as Hispanic.  Thank you for your contributions!

• A lot happened in August.  Here's our two-minute video recap, including one final, fun moment from the NACo Awards ceremony :)

NOTE FOR READERS

Maricopa Currents will be back again in two weeks (September 19) with our regular dose of county news, videos, and yes, the caption contest.  Thanks for reading.