SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Supreme Court Chief, Robert Brutinel, and Vice Chief Ann Scott Timmer spent half of Thursday in Cochise County, as part of their statewide tour to meet with local judges.
Brutinel started touring the state when he became chief five years ago, to keep an open communication with the counties. He is now taking Timmer with him so she can meet the locals before she replaces him in June.
“That it’s a good idea as we transition to see well what has worked, what hasn’t worked, what needs to happen," Timmer said. "And to get a little bit more a sense on the ground of what’s going on in the different court system.”
The pair met with the local judges in the morning to talk about what they've accomplished in Brutinel's tenure and what help or resources they may need moving forward.
“Arizona has developed a national, even international reputation as a justice system that is progressive and is willing to try new things to try and make our justice system work better," Brutinel said.
He says the courts have worked on making justice more accessible for people in the state, jury reform and how the courts handle people with mental health needs.
“There’s lots of things going right in Cochise County," Brutinel said."They work very hard. They care a great deal about the community. I think they serve the county very well.”
Brutinel and Timmer met with community leaders from across the county and the local judges, Thursday afternoon, for a roundtable discussion.
The law enforcement in the room shared concerns about the influx in number of cases because of the increased activity in human smuggling. They also shared concerns about the limited resources to help with mental health resources and treatment center for people who need them. Both the chief and vice chief were surprised to hear their concerns but acknowledged more could be done in regards to both topics.
Brutinel says in his five years as chief he and his team have accomplished 99% of his strategic plan initiatives. Timmer feels there is more to build on from the growth made so far.
“It has to be the number one goal for people to have access to civil justice," she said. "I’ve moved up to a number two goal the public perception and such and public confidence in the judiciary.”
She believes it's important to build back the public's trust in courts, since some people have lost faith in the judicial system over the last few years.
Timmer believes visits like Thursday's are going to help her learn more about the different needs for the different counties.
“I’ve been in the judiciary system for 23 years and I thought I knew quite a bit about what goes on and I’ve been tremendously impressed thus far with the number of programs and the good work that people are doing in their community,” she said.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
