Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office More than Doubles Crime Victim Services Under Lucido’s Leadership

Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office
Contact: Dawn Fraylick, Communications Director       
Office: +1 (586) 469-5737
Cell: +1 (586) 842-4421                                           
Email: Dawn.Fraylick@macombgov.org     

February 10, 2025

Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office More than Doubles Crime Victim Services Under Lucido’s Leadership

Mount Clemens, MI - The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office has made remarkable strides in expanding crime victim services under the leadership of Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. Since taking office, Lucido has prioritized increasing the number of victims receiving support, leading to significant improvements in accessibility and outreach.

During the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Victim Rights Grant fiscal year (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024), the office delivered victim rights services to 5,176 crime victims out of 8,627 eligible cases—an impressive 60% coverage rate. This represents a significant improvement from the 2019 grant fiscal year, before Lucido took office when only 1,931 victims out of 6,557 cases (29%) received assistance.

Lucido attributes this success to a combination of dedicated victim advocates and innovative technology. “Our goal has always been to help crime victims by providing them with the services and support they need during some of their toughest moments. We have talented victim advocates utilizing modern technology to achieve real results,” he said.

One of the key advancements introduced by the Prosecutor’s Office is a new text messaging service integrated with a modern case management system. This system ensures victims receive timely hearing notices, case updates, and access to resources more efficiently. Additionally, the office launched a Warrant Appeals Unit, giving victims a second opportunity for denied charges to be reconsidered. These initiatives have gained national recognition, earning the office two National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards for improving victim services.

Beyond technological advancements, the office has also prioritized creating a more supportive environment for crime victims. A newly established children’s room provides a safe and comforting space for young victims and their families, while a therapy dog named Peanut offers emotional support to those in need.

Lucido credits the success of these initiatives largely to the dedicated efforts of the Crime Victim Rights Unit, which consists of nine victim advocates. Funded primarily through the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Victim Rights Grant, this unit ensures that expanded services can be provided without straining the county budget.

Lucido remains committed to continuous improvements in victim services, stating, “Our mission is to ensure that every crime victim in Macomb County receives the support and services they deserve. We will continue to stand firmly in the corner of those impacted by crime, ensuring they feel heard, supported, and empowered.”

For more information on crime victim resources, visit the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Crime Victim Rights webpage: https://www.macombgov.org/departments/prosecutors-office/units/crime-victim-rights-unit 

Increasing the percentage of crime victims served, and providing more crime victim services, are not the only improvements Prosecutor Lucido has made since taking office.  Other progress includes:

• Auto Theft Unit Achieves Milestone - The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office Auto Theft Unit has achieved a milestone by reducing all pending auto-related warrant requests to zero, despite handling an increased number of complex Continuing Criminal Enterprise (CCE) cases. The Unit's progress is especially significant given the rise in CCE cases, which require more resources and involve numerous underlying crimes.
• Warrant Unit Process Faster Than Ever Before  -The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office Warrant Unit has significantly improved the efficiency of processing adult warrant requests, reducing the number of pending requests to record lows, despite an increase in police submissions. The Warrant Unit focuses on expediting cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies like armed robbery and assault with intent to murder.
• Record Efficiency in Drug Unit - The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Drug Unit has reduced pending drug warrant requests to a record low of just one. The swift processing of drug cases balances public safety with rehabilitation efforts like drug courts for low-level offenders and supports the fight against the opioid crisis enhancing community safety.
• Child Protection Unit Aggressively Reduced Warrants -The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Child Protection Unit has reduced pending warrant requests to 15, the lowest all year, despite a rise in sexual assault cases. This unit’s efficiency and dedication ensure quicker case resolutions for victims while holding offenders accountable.
• Child Support Collections Increased: intensified efforts to collect child support from parents who owe $5,000 or more, successfully collecting $1.3 million for Macomb County children since last year under this new initiative, with most collections done while avoiding criminal prosecution.
• Macomb County Prosecutor Shatters Glass Ceiling: Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido hired a record number of women as assistant prosecuting attorneys, with women filling 70% of new positions in the past three years. A majority of all assistant prosecuting attorneys handling cases in the county are now women. Lucido also promoted a record number of women to lead special units within the prosecutor’s office. After implementing an objective hiring process, and a commitment to build a diverse and inclusive team to prosecute crimes and reflect the community we serve, Lucido successfully filled all assistant prosecutor positions despite a national shortage, a rarity for an office this size.
• Record Set for Fast Domestic Violence Warrant Processing:  the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office is processing domestic violence warrant requests more efficiently than ever, a significant improvement compared to the years before Lucido took office when warrant requests seeking domestic violence charges for out-of-custody defendants could accumulate.
• Victim services improved over 50%: More Macomb County crime victims get more help. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office doubled the percentage of crime victims receiving crucial support services compared to 2019 before Lucido took office. More victims now receive victim rights services, including but not limited to assigned victim advocates, help to get restitution, hearing notices, or other kinds of support.
• Criminal charge requests for juveniles reviewed faster than ever:  The Juvenile Unit is now authorizing or denying petitions at an unprecedented speed, with the number of pending requests reduced to the lowest levels in recent memory, supporting the broader goal of rehabilitating young offenders and protecting vulnerable children.
• Mental Health Assessments for Gun Crime Defendants: Started a first-in-Michigan policy requiring mental health assessments as part of bond conditions in all gun crime cases, using existing resources to provide an opportunity for mental health services before a suspect gets a chance to commit another crime with a gun.
• Hate Crimes Unit Launched: created a Hate Crimes Unit, securing a vital U.S. Department of Justice grant paying 100% of all its costs, a distinction granted to only 16 organizations nationwide last year. Appointed Michigan's first and only solely dedicated hate crimes prosecutor at a county level, ensuring robust enforcement and community education.
• Conviction Integrity Unit Exoneration: started this unit to investigate claims of innocence as a result of clear and convincing new evidence that the convicted defendant was not the person who committed the offense, and to review claims of factual innocence based on new evidence such as DNA.  This unit secured an exoneration.
• Major Crimes Unit Launched: Prosecutor Lucido organized the top-ranked assistant prosecutors to focus on major crimes, and train more assistant prosecutors to handle these types of cases.
• Warrant Appeals Unit Launched: Established the state’s first formal prosecutor’s office unit allowing domestic violence victims (and all other crime victims) and law enforcement officials to have a second review of warrant requests where charges were denied.
• Digital Evidence Management Platform Implemented: With over 800,000 pieces of digital evidence, police agencies can now upload digital evidence, which the Prosecutor’s Office reviews, and defense lawyers can download directly, resulting in “discovery” information faster than it’s ever been provided.
• Increased Internships: Hosted over 200 law school and college interns. Court rules permit law student interns to handle court hearings under supervision, which helps the office serve victims and expedite cases.
• Paperless Crime Victim Rights: Implemented the county’s first paperless system for crime victims to request rights and notifications via text message or online.
• Police Training Provided: Regular training sessions by assistant prosecutors are conducted for every police agency in Macomb County, including updates on recent court cases.
• Enhanced Auto Theft Unit: Addressed a surge in attacks on car dealerships and manufacturing plants, prosecuting more continuing criminal enterprise cases in the past two years than in the previous decade, resulting in over $800,000 in restitution.
• Record number of national good government awards received:  The National Association of Counties (NaCO) presented 26 awards to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office during Lucido’s tenure.  The 12 awards received in 2024 is the highest (record) number of awards the organization has ever presented in one year.

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