(Phoenix, Arizona) – On Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, Rachel H. Mitchell, a longtime prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO), was sworn in as the newly elected County Attorney. Mitchell was sworn in by Arizona Supreme Court Judge Kathryn Hackett King. 

Mitchell served as the County Attorney since being appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on April 20, 2022, after former County Attorney Allister Adel resigned from the position. Mitchell first joined the MCAO in 1992, after graduating law school at Arizona State University. Since being appointed County Attorney, Mitchell has been laser focused on moving the office forward. In the past nine months, Mitchell has spearheaded a variety of efforts:

• Mitchell inherited an office with a 20% workforce deficiency.  Through a six-month robust marketing campaign, that number has been reduced to approximately 10%
• The number of Officer Involved Shootings (OIS) needing to be reviewed by MCAO was 59 upon Mitchell’s appointment in April. Since then, the list has been reduced to 35 pending reviews.  That number includes the additional OIS reviews that have been submitted to this office over the span of her current role.
• In the summer of 2022, the office collaborated with the Phoenix Police Department and federal law enforcement in the creation and implementation of “Operation Gun Crime Crackdown,” a crime reduction effort aimed at reducing the number of violent gun crimes across the city of Phoenix.
• Mitchell created an organized retail theft effort to protect businesses, grocery stores, and pharmacies, from being the targets of planned and repeated retail theft. 
• Mitchell has been instrumental in the education and awareness of the Fentanyl crisis in our community by hosting expert panels at local high schools for parents, students, teachers, and caregivers. 

Before being appointed, Mitchell served as one of five Division Chiefs in the Criminal Division. She created the office’s first Prosecution Integrity Unit and previously served as acting County Attorney when Bill Montgomery was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Mitchell has served in many capacities in the office but is most highly recognized for her work as a sex crimes prosecutor, involving children victims of sex abuse and adult sex assault.

“It is an honor to be elected by the voters of Maricopa County to the position of County Attorney. Yesterday, I swore to uphold the law and the Constitution of both our country and our state, and I will make it a priority to keep our community safe. I am proud of the work of the employees of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and look forward to leading with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to seeking justice for everyone in our community,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. 

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