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Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel vows to be more transparent in new administration

The newly appointed Maricopa County attorney held her first press conference on Thursday.

Editor's note: The above video is from an Oct. 3 newscast. 

The newly appointed Maricopa County attorney vowed to make the office more transparent and less political under her administration. 

"To be politically neutral is to focus on the core of what this office is. We serve all of Maricopa County and this office isn't just criminal prosecution," Allister Adel said during her first press conference on Thursday. 

"I'm here to uphold the law and do what's right and that's how I plan to have a less political office."

PREVIOUS: Maricopa County appoints first female chief prosecutor in county history

Adel's predecessor, Bill Montgomery, was appointed to the state Supreme Court last month by Gov. Doug Ducey. Both the men are Republicans. 

RELATED: Gov. Doug Ducey appoints Bill Montgomery to Arizona Supreme Court

Montgomery was credited with moving beyond the era when a former prosecutor teamed up with then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio to criminally investigate officials who were at odds with them in political and legal disputes. 

But Montgomery has been criticized for carrying out prosecutions of Arpaio investigations of immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally, his critics say he's been hostile to LGBTQ+ rights and came under fire for his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against Juan Martinez. 

RELATED: How Montgomery bounced back to get high court seat

Adel said Thursday that she will work to establish herself in her new role by being a voice and a resource. 

"My leadership style is I strongly try and be a character-driven leader. I practice my ethical excellence every single day," Adel said. 

Adel said she would improve public records requests and would review policies and procedures involving body-worn cameras. She added that she is committed to transparency.

"We have a backlog (of requests) and I want to bring in a lean process improvement team so we can better organize those and turn those around faster because I'm committed to transparency and I think that's something we can do relatively quickly in the first few months here," she said. 

RELATED: Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery accused of ethical misconduct

When it came to body-worn cameras, Adel said her office is evaluating the procedures and policy under the previous administration. 

"I can tell you that we want to work collaboratively with law enforcement and also be able to honor the requests of the media to get information in a timely matter. We are examining it to see if we need to have a policy change."

The full press conference can be seen below. 

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