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"It’s All About Protecting People"
As Attorney General, I’ll be your lawyer, your advocate, and your voice. My top priority will be protecting the safety of your neighborhood and the security of your hard-earned dollars. I will go after:
• Scammers, fraudulent lenders, and identity thieves
• Abusers who victimize children and seniors
• Gun smugglers, human traffickers, and violent criminals
And I will continue to be a staunch defender of civil rights and our environment.
This year, I’ve been working closely with Attorney General Terry Goddard on a number of bills to protect Arizonans from crime, including bills to crack down on human smugglers, drug cartels, gun crimes and abuse in the polygamist community of Colorado City. I’ve been fighting these fights for years, and I will carry them forward as Attorney General.
Consumer Protection
This economy can be rough enough without consumers having to fear from predators looking to steal their hard-earned savings. Crimes like on-line scams and mortgage fraud are an assault on your piece of mind. Even more despicable are those criminals who would steal your money by posing as a legitimate charity.
What I’ve Done About It: Protecting consumers has always been one of my top priorities. That’s why I authored a tough law to crack down on identity theft. I’ve fought for consumer rights, like the right to be notified if a home or apartment you have rented is in foreclosure or the ability to freeze your credit report if your identity is stolen. I’ve also worked to prevent identity theft with stronger laws to protect consumers’ sensitive data through proper disposal by businesses.
What I’ll Do As Attorney General: I will work to weed out the bad actors in our state so that legitimate business can flourish and consumers can be free of fear when shopping on-line or making charitable contributions. I’ll educate consumers on their rights in the marketplace and ways to protect themselves from identity theft. I’ll be especially proactive in reaching out to those, like seniors, who are most frequently targeted as potential scam victims. Too often, rural Arizonans are the last to get information on how to protect themselves. I will work with rural law enforcement to make sure that they stay ahead of the curve on emerging scams.
“Arizonans should never have to worry about losing their homes, savings or peace of mind to a thief, especially in these trying economic times.”- David Lujan
Protecting the Most Vulnerable - Children and Seniors
Child abuse and domestic violence are sadly common tragedies in our communities. Child Protective Services (CPS) is overwhelmed, and can no longer investigate every report of abuse. Abused or exploited seniors too often don’t know where to turn for help. In the polygamist community of Colorado City, young girls are regularly forced into sexually exploitative marriages, with no way out. Victims of these tragedies deserve the utmost support and protection. Unfortunately, reckless budget cuts have left both CPS and Adult Protective Services unable to tackle their caseloads.
What I’ve Done About It: Advocating for victims has been my life’s passion. In the legislature, I have fought against the cuts that have left so many open to abuse. I’ve stood up for the rights of rape victims and pushed for more investment in domestic violence protection. In addition to working directly with child abuse victims as the staff attorney for the non-profit organization Defenders of Children, I have helped to train more than 1,000 attorneys and law enforcement officials on domestic violence and child abuse, and co-authored Child Advocacy 101, a guide to child protection systems in the United States.
What I’ll Do As Attorney General: I believe that the most solemn obligation of our Arizona’s elected leaders is to protect the most vulnerable. Sadly, our state is not living up to that obligation. As Attorney General, I will be Arizona’s most vocal advocate for the abused by demanding that the legislature fully fund Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services, so that no report of abuse goes unheard. I’ll prioritize training for case managers at both agencies so that we can collect better evidence and bring more cases to justice. To help fill in the gaps in our victims’ services system, I will make the Attorney General’s office more accessible to victims in rural areas.
Seniors are targeted as victims of many different kinds of crimes. That’s why I’ll establish an Elder Law Task Force to bring together experts and attorneys working on all of the kinds of crime that especially affect seniors. I pledge to continue Attorney General Goddard’s efforts to reach out to seniors. I will expand the volunteer program in which seniors themselves are trained to spot and report incidents of abuse or exploitation. My office will provide trainings to senior centers and care facilities so that staff members know how to deal with cases of abuse.
Child abuse is not the only threat facing our children. I’ll place more emphasis on educating parents about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and cyber-bullying, giving parents, schools, and teenagers alike the tools to stay safe. I will work with the Department of Education to make students and teachers aware of a statewide school violence hotline, so that we can prevent tragedies in our schools. Finally, I will continue my fight to end the tragedy of underage children forced into polygamous marriages in Colorado City.
“My top priority is simple: it’s all about protecting people.” - David Lujan
Border Security
Too many Arizonans live in fear in their own communities, afraid of the reach of organized drug cartels and human traffickers. While drugs are smuggled north, guns and money flow south, fueling a war just across our border. Cartel violence has spilled across our border, evidence by murders in Arizona’s rural communities and Phoenix now carrying the dubious distinction of “Kidnapping Capitol of the U.S.” This crisis is complex, and will not be solved by one person or one tactic. It will take the cooperation of federal, state, and local law enforcement to secure our border. Finally, true border security will not be complete until Congress passes comprehensive immigration reform.
What I’ve Done About It: I’ve been working to stop human trafficking from my first day in the legislature. Partnering with Attorney General Goddard, I’ve worked to eliminate the use of “drop houses” in our communities, and fought for stronger penalties for traffickers. This year, I sponsored a bill to make it a crime to purchase weapons with a false identity and deliver them to a foreign country. To keep violent gang members off of our streets, I also sponsored a bill to impose tougher penalties for criminals who use deadly weapons in the commission of crimes when they were already prohibited from possessing such weapons.
What I’ll Do As Attorney General: These violent drug cartels will not go away without a fight. From day one, I will bring together federal, state, and local agencies, to martial the resources we need to take the fight to the people who are doing the most damage to our state’s safety, and economic prosperity.
My first priority will be to cut off the cartels’ funding sources. Attorney General Goddard has made great strides in this area, most notably the recent $94 million settlement against Western Union. I will make full use of the tools granted by that case to future Attorneys General to seize wire payments suspected of going to drug cartels. Cases like the Western Union case are a product of cooperation with Attorneys General in other states and I will seek out any opportunity to encourage similar cooperation on border issues. Finally, I will continue to attack the cartels’ human trafficking and gun smuggling operations, which are the most direct threat posed by the border.
“I am committed to working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to multiply our resources and combat this crisis; our security and our economy depend on it.” - David Lujan
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