Gerald Richard for Maricopa County Attorney

Professional Experience

Leadership Over Personal Agendas

Gerald Richard is a law enforcement leader — not a career politician. He will bring his 22-years of legal experience and his track record as a consensus builder to restore the professionalism of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, not only within the law enforcement community, but also among the citizens the office is mandated to protect.

Gerald Richard will not use the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for political purposes or to further a personal agenda. He will emphasize prosecuting the crimes plaguing our communities by actively targeting gang related criminal activity; violent crimes; property crimes; juvenile criminal activity and the criminal activities associated with illegal immigration.

Gerald Richard will not politicize or publicize criminal justice issues for posturing purposes, but instead will be a leader who is truly committed to public safety, quality of life and the well being of the nearly 1,000 employees who are doing the day-to-day work of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

As your next Maricopa County Attorney, Gerald Richard will not be fiscally irresponsible with public funds and in fact will return fiscal accountability and responsibility to that office by evaluating the current administration’s outreach programs by measuring effectiveness, programs without proven performance measures will be evaluated and cost savings will be directed toward training career prosecutors.

Gerald Richard’s illustrious legal career has prepared him to lead the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office:

* In March 2008, Gerald Richard left the Phoenix Police Department as Director of the Administrative Support Division. In this most recent position he was responsible for a budget of $67 million while supervising hundreds of employees across four different units. He left the city position, which he consistently excelled in, three years prior to being eligible for retirement in order to run for Maricopa County Attorney.

* In 2001, Gerald Richard was appointed Director of the Legal Support Division, and was responsible for all civil and criminal legal matters. He also managed the Inspections Unit, the Incident Review Unit, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Representative and the Mayor’s Detail.

* In 1993, Gerald Richard became the first Director of the Community Services Division of the Phoenix Police Department and would hold this position for seven years while overseeing all aspects of police-community relations, training, hiring and public information.

* In 1991, Gerald Richard was promoted to Special Assistant to the Chief of Police for the Phoenix Police Department and was responsible for providing civil and criminal prosecution instruction to law enforcement personnel which included search and seizure, civil liability, constitutional law, rules of evidence, and laws of arrest. He also was the legal liaison for contact with local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies.

* In 1989, Gerald Richard served as general counsel to the Police Chief and Executive staff and rendered legal opinions on administrative, legislative and line-function matters. His primary function was providing legal guidance to law enforcement personnel in conducting complex criminal investigations.

* In 1986, Gerald Richard joined the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office as a law clerk, but quickly earned a promotion to the Trial Bureau where he prosecuted myriad criminal cases. From there he promoted to the Organized Crime Unit to provide specialized prosecution efforts for gang and occult cases.

* Prior to joining the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Gerald Richard clerked for Judge Edward C. Voss, III in Superior Court and was responsible for drafting judicial opinions and researching administrative rules of law related to civil and criminal contempt.

Gerald Richard’s Professional Awards and Affiliations:

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Living the Dream Award, City of Phoenix
• Man of the Year, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
• Founder, Alpha Phi Alpha, Arizona State University
• Member, Civil Rights Committee, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Civil Rights Committee
• Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police
• Member, Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police
• Member, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
• Member, Rules Committee Chair, Arizona Peace Officer Standard and
  Training Board
  
• Past Member, Arizona Governor’s Drug and Gang Policy Council.
• Past Chair, Arizona State Gang Advisory Committee
• Past Chair, Arizona Supreme Court Commission on Minorities (12 years)
• Past Member, Arizona Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Council
• Past Member, National Coalition for Juvenile Justice
• Past Chair, Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Forum
• Past Board Member, National Center for Delinquency Prevention
• Past Member, Mesa Gang Prevention Steering Committee
• Past Chair, Legal Advisors Association of Arizona
• Past Chair, National Training Committee, Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.)
• Outstanding Law Enforcement Award, Maricopa County NAACP

Personal

Gerald Richard was born on the South Side of Chicago on May 13, 1955, Both of his parents were teachers, but his father was also a track coach. Gerald came to ASU in 1974 on a track scholarship as a hurdler. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1985 from the ASU College of Law.

He has since earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University where he is an adjunct faculty member teaching leadership skills. And he is now a candidate for a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from NAU.

Gerald and his wife of nearly 24 years live in Phoenix and have two daughters.