Arizona sheriffs oppose Ducey border-security strike force

Arizona sheriffs are revolting against Gov. Doug Ducey's proposal to permanently fund a state border strike force to combat drug and human trafficking.

In an open letter, the Arizona Sheriffs Association said years of inadequate funding for the state Department of Public Safety has challenged its ability to patrol state highways, oversee a crime lab and complete other core responsibilities. The group said the sheriffs' ability to respond to border communities "has been severely hampered" because of the state's sweeps of county funds.

"Thus, before placing another responsibility on the Arizona Department of Public Safety by creating an 'Arizona Border Strike Force' we encourage the state to address the following issues, which the sheriffs believe to be critical, before implementing a new program," the two page letter states.

The association, which represents the state's 15 sheriffs, says DPS should fill its 100 vacant positions with officers who can "adequately handle their regular patrols" on state roads, "relieving the counties of having to fill those gaps especially in rural communities." The state should also improve its aging radio system "so that it is capable of communicating" with other law enforcement and emergency personnel, upgrade and fully staff the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center to vet intelligence information, improve the crime lab, which "is plagued by long turnaround times for evidence analysis" that affects timing of prosecutions, and restore funding to counties that have been swept in years past.

The association said it would be willing to reconsider its position if the state addresses these concerns and after it sees Ducey's formal proposal. The letter was signed by Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot, president of the association, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, the association's vice president.

NCAA president 'very pleased' with revisions to Indiana religious freedom law

Nanos told The Arizona Republic he applauds Ducey's desire to put additional resources toward fighting border crime, but "his top priority should be running DPS for the things DPS is supposed to do: highway patrol 24-7 ... and in all the counties, not just some."

In a statement, Ducey said he appreciates the sheriffs' commitment to public safety, "which is why he's taken the first meaningful action in decades to combat border-related crime."

Ducey said the strike force bureau has only been in operation since September and has already seized more heroin at the border than DPS seized in all of 2014.

"Continued progress in these efforts requires a plan that is robust, and that leverages resources, manpower and money from local, state and federal levels," the statement said. "That’s what sets Governor Ducey’s plan apart from previous failed attempts to protect and patrol Arizona’s border – and he looks forward to working with law enforcement at all levels to ensure its success."

(Story continues below the sheriffs' open letter.) 

The governor quietly created the border task force in September and hopes to expand into the Arizona Department of Public Safety's third-largest bureau with the goal of removing Arizona from the list of prime trafficking routes into the world's largest drug market.

Under the plan, the Arizona Border Strike Force Bureau of the Department of Public Safety is seeking to partner with local and federal agencies to disrupt the criminal organizations that smuggle drugs and people into the U.S. Their prime target is the Sinaloa Cartel, the source of a vast majority of marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin that flow into the state for sale or distribution to other parts of the U.S.

Ducey, who on the campaign trail promised to close the "wide-open and unprotected border," said the bureau seeks to make it too risky and too expensive for the criminal organizations to operate here. That would require a sustained effort by the department, Ducey's administration said, rather than its current sporadic operations.

Ducey is calling for an infusion of tens of millions of dollars in state money and federal grants and equipment to permanently fund the fight against border-related criminal activity. The plan would boost intelligence gathering, and add planes, helicopters, radios and other resources to the department's arsenal.

NCAA president 'very pleased' with revisions to Indiana religious freedom law

Under Ducey's plan, which would require new funding from the state Legislature, the Department of Public Safety's bureau would eventually grow to about 180 troopers, analysts, pilots and county personnel, who would mostly operate in southern and central Arizona. A small number of National Guard troops would be used to initially bolster the numbers.

State troopers and canine units would conduct more-frequent patrols of highways, and authorities would target drug scouts, traffickers and distributors in key trafficking corridors. Border counties would receive state funds to hire more prosecutors and reimburse the costs of jailing traffickers.

Follow the reporter on Twitter: @yvonnewingett and reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.