APAAC Gerda & Kurt Klein Guardian of Freedom Award
This award was established in 2018 as a tribute to Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein and her husband Kurt Klein. Gerda and Kurt dedicated their lives to the lessons from the Holocaust and recognized prosecution professionals as guardians of freedom. They understood that prosecution professionals are the living embodiment of the United States Constitution, and that we are often times the last line of defense for the rights of both victims and the accused.
This award recognizes an Arizona prosecution office Victim Advocate who has demonstrated exceptional professionalism in ethical decision-making in the pursuit of justice. This award is not meant to award tough trial victories, but victories of conscience. It will be awarded to the Victim Advocate who lives up to Gerda and Kurt’s ideals, who makes the right decision, regardless of the effect to the outcome of a case. As such, this is not necessarily an annual award; rather, it is awarded as exceptional actions warrant.
Eligible nominees include all full-time Arizona Victim Advocates in a municipal, county attorney and/or Attorney General prosecution office.
2024
Victim Advocate Veronica Driz stands out among her peers by consistently demonstrating exceptional professionalism and ethical decision-making in the pursuit of justice. Veronica exemplified these traits in a specific case, State vs. Fontes, which involved victims who suffered the loss of an infant child where one victim was charged with DUI. The case also involved a protracted legal process including contentious hearings, a victims’ rights violation, a Special Action heard by the Arizona Supreme Court, and unprofessional conduct by defense counsel. The defense counsel’s conduct ultimately resulted in a bar complaint at which, in an unusual move, Veronica was called to testify. The victim also testified, as did an advocate volunteer intern from the Attorney General’s Office of Victim Services who witnessed the conduct in question. Veronica remained a source of support for the victim, handling the case with professionalism and care.