Spend a few minutes with Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and you realize something quickly: he sees the job through the eyes of a father first.
“I think being a dad and a husband makes me a much better attorney general,” Sunday said. “Because I view the world through the lens of the issues that I face as a dad and a husband, and I think about my son from morning till night.”
That perspective shapes how he approaches everything from organized retail crime to online scams targeting seniors.
The scope of the office
When asked what surprised him most in his first year, Sunday didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t think anyone could really understand the breadth of this office unless you’re working in it,” he said.
He describes the Attorney General’s Office as divided into three primary divisions: criminal, civil, and public protection. Pennsylvania’s criminal division is one of the largest in the country, handling everything from organized retail crime to human trafficking and gun violence.
The civil division defends state agencies and statutes in court. “When a law is passed… there’s an expectation that once that law’s passed and signed into law by the governor, that the attorney general will defend that statute in court,” he explained.
And then there is public protection, including the Bureau of Consumer Protection, which enforces Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Laws.
But structure only tells part of the story. Sunday is quick to point out that priorities drive resources.
“We have very limited resources,” he said. “Everything we say yes to means we say no to something else.”
Organized retail crime: Going after the leadership
For PFMA members, organized retail crime remains front and center. Sunday calls it exactly that: organized.
“These are hardened, organized criminal groups,” he said. “We’re not interested in going after” someone stealing a stick of gum.
Instead, the focus is on the networks behind the theft.
“Our goal is to identify the groups, like the people that are running the show,” Sunday said. “When you do that, that’s when you truly make a difference and you truly stop the action.”
He also stressed that these cases are not harmless property crimes.
“We’ve had cases in here where there was serious bodily injury to employees,” he said. “Nobody should have to deal with that… That’s just unacceptable. And as attorney general, that’s not something that I’m willing to ignore.”
For Sunday, the key is collaboration.
“I think it all comes down to collaboration… It’s teamwork,” he said, pointing to outreach with local police departments and community education as critical components.
That partnership approach extends directly to the Food and Beverage Industry.
Consumer protection and gift card fraud
Sunday also highlighted the growing threat of gift card scams, many of which target seniors.
Victims are befriended online, manipulated, and told to purchase gift cards as payment.
“If you’re in some type of transaction and the person says… what I need are for you to go buy gift cards and bring gift cards in, then that is a big red flag. Don’t do it,” he said.
His office is leaning heavily into education.
“What we are really leaning into is education,” Sunday said, noting the importance of senior scam seminars and community outreach.
He acknowledged the role businesses can play in prevention and mitigation, describing collaboration with the business community as a priority.
Reentry, work, and safe communities
Beyond enforcement, Sunday sees opportunity in second-chance hiring.
“95% of everyone that goes to prison will come home,” he noted.
“The data shows that if they can find employment, then the odds of them going back decrease drastically.”
He praised employers willing to hire returning citizens and emphasized that safe communities and economic opportunity are not competing goals.
“If communities aren’t safe, nothing else matters,” Sunday said.
A Pennsylvania guy, through and through. Outside the office, Sunday keeps it simple.
“As soon as I’m… as off the clock as possible, all my time is spent with my son and my wife,” he said.
A Navy veteran, lifelong Pennsylvanian, Eagles fan, and self-described ice cream enthusiast, he carries his home state with him.
“I just think it’s Pennsylvania. I love Hershey,” he said, reflecting on childhood summers with season passes and family trips across the Commonwealth.
That rootedness matters. It grounds his leadership in something personal.
For PFMA members navigating organized retail crime, consumer fraud, and workforce challenges, the message from the Attorney General is clear: collaboration works, safety comes first, and the people behind the problems, not just the symptoms, are the target.
And he’s approaching it all the way he approaches fatherhood, with focus, urgency, and a long view of what kind of Commonwealth we want to leave to the next generation.
At the end of the day, Sunday’s leadership style is straightforward. Protect families. Back up law enforcement. Work with industry, not around it. And go after the people truly driving harm in our communities. For the Food and Beverage Industry, that clarity matters. Safe stores, informed consumers, and strong partnerships do not happen by accident. They happen when public officials and private employers decide to row in the same direction. That is the bookend to this conversation: collaboration is not a talking point. It is the strategy. ■