Courthouse Dogs Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office (MCAO) has two new advocates now working in the Victim Services Division. What makes these advocates unique is that they are canines. Two year old Sam and eighteen month old Moose are service dogs trained to work with the victims of crime. While young victims are often traumatized by a heinous crime and intimidated by the criminal justice system, these dogs provide the support needed for these victims to successfully attend court and confront their perpetrator. The specialized training these dogs must complete includes behavioral situations, mock court trials, passing through metal detectors, wand searches, learning to work with multiple clients, sitting quietly on the witness stand and remaining calm and focused when working in hectic, noisy environments. These two dogs spend many hours a week in the office and happily interact with MCAO employees when not assisting victims. Although the program is relatively new, the dogs have logged more than 120 hours in court and the MCAO has been very encouraged by their effectiveness in comforting victims.