At the July 21 Tucson City Council meeting, Police Chief Monica Prieto introduced a new six-month pilot program aimed to connect repeat offenders with services.
The initiative, called Top Repeat Offenders Analysis and Intervention Program (TROAI), will focus on 50 people who have had repeated police contacts for chronic quality of life offenses and committed 6 to 14 misdemeanors in the last 12 months. Such crimes include trespassing, disorderly conduct, shoplifting, solicitation, loitering, possession of drug paraphernalia, public urination and median violations.
“This program was born out of the realization that there are numerous community members that are stuck in a cycle of low-level criminal activity,” Prieto said. “The same individuals are repeatedly cycling through our justice system without meaningful improvement.”
Under the new initiative, each week, two people will be selected from the 50-person list by the Operation Division West Zebra officers and community outreach teams. The teams will then make direct contact and offer services, such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing, jail-diversion programs or assistance addressing warrants.
The program will initially focus on Tucson’s northwest side.
Prieto emphasized that accepting these services is voluntary.
“A person will not be arrested, cited, booked or subjected to greater charges merely because they decline assistance,” she said. “In certain instances, TPD will make recommendations to City Court to not dismiss new cases involving identified individuals and to consider court-ordered drug treatment.”
Caroline Isaacs, executive director of Just Communities Arizona, says court-ordered drug treatment is often ineffective and harmful.
“What research shows is people get out and they go buy the same amount of drugs that they would’ve consumed prior to that experience, and then they overdose and they die,” she said. “There is no comprehensive plan for these folks. They lock you up, they detox you against your will and medicate you against your will. For how long? When you are being released, do you have housing?”
Isaacs said there are eligibility guidelines that make such services unattainable for people.
“You can’t come with your dog, you can’t come with your partner,” she said. “Are they accepting of people of various gender expressions? Do you have to go to church? It is a very complex health crisis. That is when we wonder why these people do not accept treatment, and the narrative becomes that these people just don’t want to get better. That’s a deeply false and irresponsible narrative.”
During the meeting, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero supported the initiative, and said that they need to spread responsibility and find the solutions within the system.
“It’s not about incarceration, but it is about accountability, it’s about treatment, and getting people to the right resources as well,” she said.
Justice Services Director Kate Vesely said that being vulnerable when trying new initiatives to solve a nationwide issue is part of the process.
“Nobody has figured this stuff out. Everyone is throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what works and what doesn’t,” she said. “We’re going to see: Is this equitable? Is this defensible? Is this constitutional? Are we actually making behavioral changes or are we spending more resources to repeat the same cycle?”
The 50-person list will refresh every 90 days. Prieto said the measure of success will be a reduction in repeat offenses and police contacts, improved conditions of affected areas as well as housing and service placements.
“We are focused on helping these folks get out of the cycle, but prepared to hold them accountable if they refuse services and they continue to reoffend,” Prieto said.
