Attorney's Office

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office plays a central role in public safety, criminal prosecution, and legal support for county government. If you live, work, or have a case in Maricopa County, understanding what this office does—and how to use its services—can make the legal system feel much less intimidating. This guide walks through what the Attorney’s Office is, how it handles criminal and civil matters, what programs exist to keep families safe, and how you can connect with the right division for help, whether you’re a victim, a parent, a taxpayer, or a family considering adoption.

Get to Know the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (often called MCAO) is one of the largest public prosecutorial agencies in the United States. It serves nearly four million residents and handles a huge volume of criminal and civil work for the county.

On the criminal side, the office:

Prosecutes all felonies that occur within Maricopa County

Handles misdemeanor filings in the county’s justice court system (for unincorporated areas)

On the civil side, it:

Provides legal counsel and representation to county agencies and elected officials

Handles matters like tax appeals, environmental enforcement, public records requests, and lawsuits involving county government

You can find an overview of the office’s mission, structure, and leadership on the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office official website by visiting the About the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office section at
Maricopa County Attorney’s Office official website.

Legal Authority and Why the County Attorney Matters

Under the Arizona Constitution, every county must have a county attorney. The Maricopa County Attorney is:

The chief prosecutor for the county
An elected official
Required by state law to be a licensed attorney in good standing in Arizona

Arizona statutes give the County Attorney the authority and responsibility to:

Prosecute criminal offenses occurring in the county
Represent the county in civil actions
Advise the Board of Supervisors and county departments
Enforce certain state and local laws that directly affect residents

For everyday people, this means the Attorney’s Office is the hub for major criminal prosecutions and a trusted legal advisor for county government decisions that impact your neighborhood, services, and taxes.

Leadership Focus: County Attorney Rachel Mitchell

The current Maricopa County Attorney, Rachel Mitchell, has decades of experience as a prosecutor in this very office. Her work has included:

Leading teams that prosecute crimes against children
Working to strengthen sexual assault laws
Advocating for abuse victims in the courtroom
Handling complex cases involving sex trafficking and adult sexual assault

Her priorities influence which initiatives the office emphasizes—such as child protection, teen violence, fentanyl awareness, and support for crime victims—so residents see a strong focus on family and community safety.

You can learn more about her background and leadership on the About page dedicated to the office at
About the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

How Criminal Prosecution Works Through the Attorney’s Office

When a crime occurs in Maricopa County, police and sheriff’s deputies are usually the first to respond. Once they investigate and submit a case:

Law enforcement submits the case to the Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors review the evidence to decide whether to file charges and what charges are appropriate under Arizona law.

If charges are filed, the case enters the criminal trial process, which can include arraignments, hearings, plea negotiations, trials, and sentencing.

Throughout the process, victims are notified and informed through the office’s victim services and communication systems.

The office’s Prosecution Division handles adult and juvenile criminal cases and includes multiple specialized bureaus, which helps ensure that complex or sensitive cases receive the attention of prosecutors with focused experience.

To see an overview of how the prosecution side is organized, visit the Prosecution section of the Attorney’s Office website at
Criminal Prosecution at the County Attorney’s Office.

Specialized Prosecution Bureaus That Protect the Community

Within the Prosecution Division, specialized bureaus handle types of crime that can be particularly serious or complex. These include:

Family Violence Bureau – Handles cases involving domestic violence and abuse within families or intimate relationships.

Sex Crimes Bureau – Focuses on sexual offenses, including those involving children and vulnerable victims.

Drug Trafficking Bureau – Targets organizations and individuals involved in the illegal distribution of drugs, including fentanyl and other dangerous substances.

Gang Bureau – Prosecutes gang-related crimes that can affect neighborhood safety.

Vehicular Crimes Bureau – Handles serious traffic-related offenses, including fatal and life-threatening crashes.

Capital Litigation Bureau – Manages the county’s most serious cases, including those eligible for the most severe penalties under law.

Juvenile Division – Addresses crimes committed by minors, balancing accountability with rehabilitation.

By organizing prosecutors into these focused units, the Attorney’s Office can better coordinate with law enforcement, build stronger cases, and respond more effectively to the specific types of crime affecting different parts of the county.

Victim Services: How the Attorney’s Office Supports People Harmed by Crime

Being a victim or survivor of crime can be confusing and overwhelming. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has a dedicated Victim Services Division designed to support individuals and families as a case moves through the justice system.

What Victim Services Can Help You With

Victim services professionals and advocates can:

Explain the criminal process in plain language

Help you understand your rights as a crime victim under Arizona law

Provide case updates, including upcoming hearings and outcomes

Facilitate communication with prosecutors handling the case

Connect you with victim resources, such as counseling, safety planning, or compensation boards when applicable

If you have been a victim of crime, or if you’re supporting someone who has, you can explore the Victims section of the Attorney’s Office website at
Victim Services and Resources.

Practical Steps for Victims and Witnesses

If you’re involved in a case:

Keep contact information current. Make sure the Victim Services Division has your up-to-date phone and email so you do not miss hearing notices.

Ask questions. It’s okay to ask what a hearing means, what to expect if you testify, or what your options are. Staff are there to explain.

Document what happened. Notes, photos, and other records may help the case and help you remember details over time.

Use safety resources. If your situation involves domestic violence, stalking, or threats, ask specifically about safety planning and protection tools.

Civil Services: The Attorney’s Office as Lawyer for County Government

The Attorney’s Office doesn’t only prosecute crimes. Through its Civil Services Division, it serves as the lawyer for county government itself.

You can read more about this work in the Civil Services section at
Civil Services Division Overview.

What the Civil Division Handles

The Civil Services Division:

Gives legal advice and representation to county officers and departments
Handles tax appeals filed by county taxpayers
Manages environmental enforcement cases involving county interests
Responds to public records requests related to county operations
Defends the county, its agencies, and employees in lawsuits and legal claims

To do this, the division is organized into several practice groups, each focused on a different area of government work.

Government Advice Practice Group

This group provides legal advice to:

The Board of Supervisors and its clerk

Elected officials, including the Sheriff, Recorder, Treasurer, School Superintendent, and County Attorney

Departments managed by the County Manager, such as Public Health, the Medical Examiner, and others

Issues can include:

Compliance with Arizona open meeting laws
Review of intergovernmental agreements
Questions about public records, procurement rules, and department authority

Human Resources Practice Group

This team advises county leaders on:

Employment policies
Workplace disputes
Compliance with state and federal employment laws

Their work helps the county manage a large workforce while staying within legal guidelines.

Land Use and Transactional Practice Group

This group supports departments that shape the county’s physical infrastructure, including:

Planning and development
Air quality and environmental services
Housing and public works
Real estate and solid waste management

They handle contracts, land use questions, and other transactional matters that affect growth, roads, public facilities, and more.

Litigation Practice Group

The Litigation group:

Defends the county, its agencies, and employees when they are sued for actions taken in the course of their duties

Handles claims brought by the county to protect public interests

Coordinates public records requests tied to lawsuits

For residents, this work ensures tax dollars and public assets are protected and that disputes involving government are handled through the legal system.

Community Safety Programs You Can Use Right Now

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is not limited to courtroom work. It also runs and supports a wide range of community education and safety programs aimed at preventing crime before it happens.

Keeping Families and Children Safe

MCAO’s family-focused resources recognize that preventing harm is just as important as prosecuting it. Within the office’s community pages, you’ll find initiatives that support parents, caregivers, and kids, including:

Keeping Families Safe campaigns
Education on child safety, online and offline
Information about teen dating violence and substance abuse
Tips to help families talk about difficult topics like drugs and risky behavior

A practical entry point for parents and caregivers is the Child Safety section, which offers straightforward safety tips and articles about modern risks kids face. For more, visit
Child Safety information for families.

Everyday Child Safety Tips Highlighted by the Office

Key suggestions drawn from the office’s child safety content include:

Be actively involved in what your child does—online, at school, and in activities.

Know your children’s friends, coaches, teachers, and the parents of their friends.

Teach children they have the right to say no to anything that makes them uncomfortable, even with people they know.

Remind kids that secrets requested by adults are a warning sign and should be shared with a trusted adult.

Practice “what if” scenarios so children know how to react to unsafe situations, whether at home, school, or in public.

Home and Travel Safety for Everyday Life

The Attorney’s Office also provides guidance on safety in and around the home and while traveling. Themes from its home and travel safety materials include:

Regularly checking windows, doors, and smoke or carbon monoxide detectors

Keeping medications, cleaning products, and hazardous items out of reach

Locking vehicles—even when parked at home—and teaching kids never to play inside cars

Safely storing firearms: unloaded, locked, and out of reach of children

Planning for vacations by making your home look occupied and limiting public posts about travel plans

These tips are designed to prevent common crimes like burglary and theft, and to reduce accidental injuries at home.

Distracted Driving: Phone Down, Eyes Up

The office’s distracted driving education emphasizes that any activity that takes your eyes, hands, or mind off driving is a distraction. That includes:

Texting or checking notifications
Adjusting navigation or music while driving
Eating, drinking, or searching for items in the car
Focusing on conversations instead of the roadway

The county highlights that even a few seconds of distraction at highway speeds can equate to traveling the length of a football field without looking at the road. Educational materials encourage drivers to:

Set navigation and music before starting the car
Pull over safely if you must respond to a call or message
Place your phone out of reach if it’s too tempting
Speak up as a passenger when a driver is distracted

These messages support Arizona’s hands-off device law and aim to reduce preventable crashes.

Safe Shopping and Organized Retail Crime

Organized retail crime has become a national and local concern. The Attorney’s Office explains how groups work together to steal large volumes of merchandise, then resell those items—often online—to fund other criminal activities, including drug trafficking and money laundering.

The Safe Shopping content from MCAO provides:

A plain-language explanation of how organized retail crime works
Examples of emerging trends like gift card tampering and credit card skimming
Steps residents can take to shop more safely and avoid supporting stolen-goods markets

You can explore these safety tips and learn how organized retail crime affects prices, store closures, and tax revenues on the
Safe Shopping and Organized Retail Crime page.

Some of the office’s recommended steps include:

Avoid buying items that seem too cheap to be legitimate, especially common theft targets like tools and cosmetics.

Check gift cards for tampered packaging before purchase.

Watch for skimming devices at gas pumps and ATMs and protect your PIN.

Report suspicious activity to law enforcement or store staff rather than intervening yourself.

Animal Cruelty: Recognizing and Reporting Abuse

The office highlights that animal cruelty is a crime, and reporting it can protect both animals and people. Key points include:

Take photos or video if you safely can, but avoid disturbing the scene.

Call law enforcement or 9-1-1 if you witness active cruelty or an animal in distress.

Stay on scene if it’s safe to do so, because witness statements are critical for investigations.

The Attorney’s Office also explains that animal cruelty often signals other serious issues, including possible child abuse or domestic violence, which makes prompt reporting especially important.

Addressing Fentanyl, Cyber Predators, and Teen Violence

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has launched focused initiatives to address some of the most pressing threats facing local communities.

Fentanyl Awareness and Drug Threats

Through its fentanyl awareness efforts, the office warns residents about:

The potency and dangers of fentanyl, even in very small doses
The use of fentanyl in counterfeit pills and street drugs
The rapid growth of fentanyl-related overdoses

By combining public messaging with strong prosecution of trafficking and distribution cases, the office works to protect families and support broader community efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

Cyber Predators and Online Safety

In its cyber predator awareness materials, the Attorney’s Office explains how online offenders operate:

They may connect with children through direct messages, games, or social media.

They often use grooming behaviors, building trust over time and nudging conversations into more private or secret spaces.

Their goal can be to obtain explicit images, arrange in-person meetings, or exploit children in other ways.

Parents and caregivers are urged to:

Monitor online activity and know which platforms their children use.
Talk openly about who it is safe to communicate with online.
Teach kids to report any interaction that makes them uncomfortable.
Treat requests for secrecy from online “friends” as serious red flags.

These recommendations align with the office’s broader child safety guidance and are meant to help families keep digital spaces safer.

East Valley Teen Violence and “Report, Don’t Repost”

The Attorney’s Office has made a special effort to address teen violence in the East Valley, where social media has sometimes amplified and spread incidents of assault and group attacks.

Through its East Valley Teen Violence page, the office:

Shares updates about charging decisions in teen violence cases

Emphasizes accountability for those who participate in violent behavior

Highlights the “Report, Don’t Repost!” campaign, encouraging teens and adults to send videos and evidence to law enforcement, not social networks

To follow updates and learn more about this initiative, you can visit
East Valley Teen Violence initiative.

The core message is simple: when people witness violence—especially by recording it—they should report it promptly so authorities can act, rather than sharing it online where it can traumatize victims further and encourage copycat behavior.

Adoption Services Through the County Attorney’s Office

Many people are surprised to learn that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office directly helps families with uncontested adoptions of minor children. This can include:

Stepparent adoptions
Grandparent and relative adoptions
Agency adoptions
Private and foreign re-adoptions

These services are for Maricopa County residents adopting children under age 18.

What Is an Uncontested Adoption?

An adoption is considered “uncontested” when:

Birth or legal parents willingly consent to the adoption,
Or their parental rights have been legally terminated,
Or they are deceased and no competing legal claims are being made.

In these situations, the Attorney’s Office can:

Draft necessary legal documents
Prepare consents and related paperwork
File documents with the court
Represent the adopting family at the adoption hearing

There is no cost for the legal services provided by the office, though families may still incur other expenses, such as court costs, document fees, fingerprinting, or adoption agency fees.

To see how to start this process and access the Uncontested Adoption Screening Form, visit the
Adoptions information page.

What Families Can Expect

While each adoption is unique, in general:

Families begin by completing the screening form requested by the office.

The Attorney’s Office reviews the information to confirm eligibility and that the adoption is uncontested.

If the office is able to represent the family, it drafts and submits legal documents to the court.

An attorney from the office appears at the adoption hearing with the family to finalize the adoption.

The time involved can vary based on the specific facts, the court’s schedule, and how quickly required documents are collected, but the Attorney’s Office works to make the process smoother and more affordable for qualifying families.

Transparency, Records, and Public Engagement

For a public agency with significant authority, transparency and accountability are essential. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office offers several ways for residents to stay informed and engaged.

Annual Reports, Protocols, and Public Records

The office regularly publishes annual reports and protocols, which can give residents insight into:

Case volume and prosecution outcomes
Policy updates and internal procedures
Special initiatives and community programs

If you’re interested in how the office is performing or what its priorities have been in recent years, you can review these materials via
Annual Reports and Protocols.

The office also handles public records requests related to its work, as allowed by law. This process gives journalists, residents, and community organizations a way to request specific records, subject to confidentiality rules and protections for victims, ongoing investigations, and sensitive information.

Staying Informed Through News and Community Outreach

To keep residents updated, the Attorney’s Office maintains a Newsroom, newsletters, and a calendar of community events. These may include:

Shred-a-thons and document disposal events

Citizens academies where residents can learn more about how the office and justice system operate

Presentations on topics like internet safety, fraud prevention, fentanyl, and teen violence

The office’s community education efforts reinforce its core mission: keeping families safe, protecting crime victims’ rights, and holding criminals accountable, while also giving residents tools to protect themselves and their neighbors.

Using the Official Website to Navigate Services

Because the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office offers so many different services—prosecution, victim support, adoptions, civil representation, and community education—the easiest way to find the right contact or program is to start at the main site and navigate from there.

You can access prosecution information, victim resources, civil services details, community safety programs, and more by visiting the
Maricopa County Attorney’s Office main site.

From there, you can:

Locate contact forms for specific divisions
Find community event calendars and education programs
Read news releases and safety articles
Access forms, brochures, and public records information

Using the official site ensures you are getting current, accurate information directly from the Attorney’s Office and other connected county departments.

Departments and Offices – Addresses and Phone Numbers

Maricopa County Attorney’s Office – 225 West Madison Street Phoenix, AZ 85003 – 602-506-3411

Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Adoption Services – 3131 West Durango Street Phoenix, AZ 85009 – 602-372-5437

Maricopa County Attorney's Office FAQs

How does this office handle criminal cases in the county?

The office is responsible for prosecuting all felony offenses that occur within Maricopa County and misdemeanors that occur in unincorporated areas. Cases are handled by specialized bureaus that focus on specific crime types, such as drug trafficking, gang activity, sex crimes, vehicular crimes, capital litigation, and family violence. These units work closely with law enforcement agencies to review investigations, make charging decisions, and take cases through trial when necessary. If you want to understand how a particular type of case is typically handled—from charging through trial—you can review the detailed bureau descriptions in the office’s official Prosecution section.

Where can I see official reports, protocols, and other transparency information?

If you’re looking for authoritative information about how the office operates, start with the Annual Reports & Protocols page. There you can find formal annual reports, prosecution protocols, and related documents that explain priorities, caseloads, and policy frameworks in an official, archived format. From that same area of the site, you can navigate to public meeting notices and public records request information, which are useful if you’re following a particular initiative, policy change, or board action involving the office.

What online resources are available for crime victims?

Victims can access information about their rights, the court process, and available services through the office’s Victim Resources section. From there, you can find links to court maps, program descriptions, and materials explaining restitution, compensation, and safety planning. The site also connects victims to specialized programs, including support for domestic violence survivors, K9 victim support, and guidance on navigating hearings. These resources are designed to complement, not replace, direct communication with victim advocates assigned to a case.

What community safety and prevention programs can residents use?

The office maintains a broad set of prevention and education efforts aimed at families, schools, and neighborhoods. Through the Community Programs page, residents can learn about initiatives such as internet safety, distracted driving awareness, fentanyl and opioid education, retail crime prevention, child safety, and teen violence campaigns like “Report, Don’t Repost.” Many of these programs offer downloadable materials, newsletters, and options to request presentations, making it easier for HOAs, schools, and community groups to bring official safety education directly to their audiences.

Can this office help with my family’s uncontested adoption?

Yes, the office has an adoption services unit that represents families in uncontested adoptions of minor children who reside in Maricopa County. “Uncontested” means the birth or legal parents have consented, had their rights legally terminated, or are deceased. The unit handles a range of situations, including stepparent, grandparent, relative, agency, private, and foreign re-adoptions, and can prepare necessary legal documents and appear at the adoption hearing on your behalf. To see if your situation qualifies and start the process, you can complete the online Uncontested Adoption Screening Form.