Dan Levey | Ronald Wilson Reagan Public Policy Award
Arizona Governor's Office/Parents of Murdered Children, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona
Dan Levey has championed crime victims' rights for the past 10 years in his home state of Arizona and nationally. He has dedicated himself to ensuring victims are treated with respect and dignity in the criminal justice system. Levey's work and advocacy honors the memory and life of his brother, Howard, who was murdered in 1996 by two gang members while Howard was waiting for friends to play in his usual Sunday morning basketball game.
Levey's leadership and his work with other individuals have led to several public policy changes in Arizona concerning the treatment of crime victims and their families. In Levey's roles as the Advisor for Victims to Arizona's Governor Janet Napolitano and, prior to that, as a Special Assistant on Victims' Issues to the Arizona Attorney General, he has been able to change public policy in addition to public officials' attitudes. He has crafted several pieces of legislation in Arizona that serve as a national model. Among them is the Arizona Crime Victims' Employment Leave Act, which allows victims to take time off work to attend court proceedings without the fear of losing their jobs.
He also was the impetus for a bill that requires all criminal trial judges in Arizona to read the Arizona Crime Victims' Bill of Rights at the beginning of court proceedings each day. Dan has also drafted legislation that protects domestic violence and stalking victims from having their identities displayed on public Web sites, as well as legislation that requires police agencies to provide a free copy of the police report to victims of violent crime.
Levey has led the effort to expand Arizona's definition of crime victims to include siblings and grandparents so that those family members can exercise their rights. He has also worked to change the attitudes of many judges by providing them with training on victims' rights and other victim-related issues. Levey has not only affected Arizona, but also has been involved in national victims' rights discussions as the President of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC).
Dan Levey was nominated by Judge Ronald S. Reinstein, Superior Court of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona. His nomination also received support from Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.