The Coconino County Attorney’s Office, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagstaff Police Department jointly announced on Dec. 16 the launch of the Violent Offender Program, a coordinated multi-agency initiative designed to identify, track and respond to individuals who repeatedly engage in violent conduct within the community.

The Violent Offender Program establishes a unified, countywide strategy to ensure violent offenders are recognized early and prosecuted with heightened oversight to prevent further harm.

“Violence in our community requires a proactive, collaborative response,” Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker stated in a press release. “The Violent Offender Program strengthens the partnership between our offices and ensures that people who demonstrate a pattern of violence are identified quickly and handled with the seriousness they warrant. Our goal is straightforward: protect the public and prevent future victims.”

Partner agencies will identify individuals with documented patterns of violent conduct, according to the press statement.

Once someone is flagged through the Violent Offender Program, “any plea proposal must be approved by the chief deputy county attorney, ensuring consistent, high-level oversight,” the press release stated.

“This program does not identify people based on who they are,” Barker later said. “It identifies patterns of violent criminal conduct already documented in arrests, charges and convictions. Identification is based on objective criminal-history data showing repeated or escalating violent offenses.”

Regarding “tracking,” Barker said, “there is no surveillance. ‘Tracking’ refers solely to tracking cases and criminal activity within existing justice-system records, so violent offenses are not handled in isolation or missed across agencies. It is administrative coordination, not physical or digital monitoring.”

Flagging Individuals

Representatives from CCSO, FPD, the Flagstaff City Attorney’s Office and CCAO will meet quarterly to review flagged individuals, share information and coordinate strategies to ensure swift, certain and escalating consequences for violent offenses.

“A flag is an internal coordination marker, not a finding of guilt,” Barker said. “It may be applied when there is a documented pattern of violent criminal conduct — whether through convictions, multiple pending violent cases, or repeated arrests supported by probable cause. The flag does not alter due process or presume guilt.”

A list of “flagged individuals” that three agencies are “tracking” is not available to the public, Barker said.

“There is no public list,” Barker said. “This is an internal operational tool used by law enforcement and prosecutors. Individuals are not publicly labeled, published, or disclosed as part of this program.”

The specific metrics for determining whether or how an individual displays “repetitive violent behavior” were not detailed in the press release.

“The program relies on objective indicators, including: “Prior violent-crime convictions, repeated involvement in assaults, weapons offenses, or serious threats of violence; Increasing frequency or severity of violent incidents, including domestic violence incidents,” Barker later said.

“Deputies and officers may proactively flag individuals who display repetitive violent behavior,” the press release stated. “These referrals notify charging attorneys and CCAO leadership early in the process, enabling case strategy and release recommendations to reflect the individual’s violent history.”

Barker clarified deputies and officers do not have unilateral discretion to flag individuals.

“All decisions involve supervisory review and prosecutorial input,” Barker later said. “Any resulting action will remain subject to judicial oversight and must comply with constitutional protections, ethics rules and existing law. The goal is additional communication and accountability, not expanded authority or unchecked discretion.”

Statements from other involved agencies

“This partnership ensures we are all working from the same information and toward the same mission,” Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly stated in the press release. “By combining our efforts, we can intervene earlier, respond more effectively and reduce violence in Coconino County.”

“Deputies frequently encounter individuals who show escalating violent behavior,” Sheriff Bret Axlund stated in the press release. “The Violent Offender Program gives us a clear and coordinated process to flag these offenders and communicate with prosecutors to ensure they don’t slip through the cracks. This partnership will make our communities safer.”

“The Violent Offender Program represents a shared commitment to improving public safety through enhanced coordination, accountability and information-sharing among agencies,” the press release stated. The Violent Offender Program implementation began immediately after the Dec. 16 announcment, with the first multi-agency coordination meeting occurring in December, according to the press release.