The sheriff for metropolitan Phoenix has launched a plan to have as many as 500 armed volunteers patrol areas just outside schools in an effort to guard against shootings like month's attack that left 26 people dead at a Connecticut elementary school.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Wednesday that he plans to have 400 posse volunteers and another 100 volunteers known as reserve deputies patrol 59 schools in unincorporated areas of metro Phoenix and communities that pay his office for police services. The patrols began Monday at some schools, though the number of schools wasn't immediately available.
The patrols from the sheriff known for immigration enforcement and housing jail inmates in canvas tents has led some longtime critics to say Arpaio's latest effort is meant to grab headlines and won't be sustained over the long term.
"Why would people complain about my posse being in front of schools to act as prevention," Arpaio said, noting that he wants the patrols to last throughout the remainder of the school year.
The sheriff said school shootings in Connecticut and elsewhere and last month's arrest of an Arizona student accused of planning an attack at her high school led to his decision to launch the patrols.
The volunteers, dressed in uniforms and driving patrol vehicles, won't go onto school grounds unless they spot danger and won't sit in stationary spots, but rather will patrol several schools as part of their driving routes. Arpaio said he decided against putting volunteers on school grounds because he believes that decision would bring harsh criticism and that no one can keep his volunteers from driving in areas around schools.
Andrew Sanchez, a town council member in Guadalupe, a community of about 6,000 in metro Phoenix that pays Arpaio's office $1.2 million a year for police protection, said he doesn't want the sheriff's posse members patrolling outside schools in his town, as the sheriff says he plans to do.
Sanchez said he objects to the plan because posse volunteers aren't certified police officers. He predicted that Arpaio won't sustain the patrols over time once media attention on the patrols fades away.
"We are paying him to have certified deputies here, not to bring a circus and not to use our town as a political platform," Sanchez said.
Distrust of Arpaio in Guadalupe runs deep after the sheriff's deputies poured into the town during one of his first trademark immigration sweeps in April 2008. During the sweeps, deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases, heavily Latino areas — over several days to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders.
Arpaio has relied heavily on his posse, which consist of about 3,000 unpaid civilians, including action-film star Steven Seagal.
They assist deputies in duties such as providing free police protection at malls during the holidays, directing traffic at wreck scenes and transporting to jail the people who are arrested in immigration patrols. One group of posse members conducted an examination into the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate.
Members wear uniforms and can get authorized to carry a gun after training, though only 400 can actually carry guns. They can make arrests only at the direction of a deputy sheriff. Posse operations generally don't receive taxpayer money and instead are funded through contributions and dues paid by posse members.
The reserve deputies who will join posse members in the school patrols have all the training and powers of a regular law enforcement officer but aren't paid for their police work.
Arpaio said no taxpayer money will be spent in the patrols and that his volunteers will be supervised by radio or phone by deputies.
"The main mission is to act as a deterrent and prevention and let everyone know we are out there in marked cars," he said.
VofReason posted at 1:47 pm on Mon, Jan 7, 2013.
Volunteer posse, partoling schools? This is obviously just more grandstanding -no? Wait, certainly the schools would need additional funds from the taxpayers to protect children- oops wrong again, they are volunteers. But surely this won't do as much to prevent school violence as say more gun control. Hmmm, guess that exhaust most the liberal objections, good work Sheriff.
Masterrogue666 posted at 2:21 pm on Mon, Jan 7, 2013.
Grandstanding? Sounds like it was planned for some time. Cost- None, due to volunteeers. Sounds like a variation of the "Block Watch" program, just modified for schools.
Yet ANOTHER POSITIVE program/idea Sheriff Joe has come up with! Gee, I guess he is concerned with more than just ILLEGAL ALIENS, as his detractors state.
Slabside posted at 3:17 pm on Mon, Jan 7, 2013.
Good for you Joe! [beam]
bubba posted at 4:07 pm on Mon, Jan 7, 2013.
Some of those posse members reportedly have criminal pasts. That's where the controversy comes in.
An MCSO spokesman said those people have already faced disciplinary action in connection with their crimes, either avoided felony convictions or petitioned to have their records expunged, and are now moving on.
While all of them are volunteers, even paying for all their own guns and equipment, posse members are insured by MCSO. The county would therefore likely be on the hook for any liability if some kind of accident happened during a school patrol.
Armed geriatrics trained by MCSO, what could go wrong?
bubba posted at 4:13 pm on Mon, Jan 7, 2013.
In most places, if a strange old man with a gun is seen outside a school, the school calls the sheriff. Here, the sheriff actually sends them there.
Slabside posted at 4:43 pm on Mon, Jan 7, 2013.
Seriously bubba? What, pray tell, made you such a sour grape my friend? Had this sheriff been appointed by Obama or elected by a Democratic majority you would be all in favor of this endeavor.
I personally know several posse members and each and every one of them is a upstanding American citizen.
Dale Whiting posted at 2:29 am on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Time will tell! I'm betting that time will prove Arpaio wrong. It has in the past. It likely will in the future. Joe's volunteer militia are not much better trained than was that armed viligante in Florida who now pleads self defense.
bubba posted at 7:21 am on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Slab..I have no doubt there are some good posse members that do good work in shopping malls etc., but I think full time, DPS trained, SRO's would be a wiser choice.
truncate posted at 10:23 am on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Lets see, a bunch of old birther coots with insufficient training and assualt weapons at schools, what could possibly go wrong? Pray to God we don't find out!
mikedurham posted at 11:07 am on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Before Joe declares this effort a success, an honest measure of evaluation needs to be estabished.
Poorman posted at 1:13 pm on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Atta boy Joe good work,keep it up.Its obvious on here that some posters have no idea what they are talking about,as there always is. But its a kick to read some of the idiotic statements made on here. Have a good day all. By the way Joe how come your still in office,lot of posters on here said you would not be put into office again. Don't here much out of them now.
VofReason posted at 1:40 pm on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Hmmm. I hear a number of commentators here pointing out why this won't work even before anything happens, but also the same group that cheers for gun control that hasn't worked for sure. Maybe they should have the posse members follow around the people with known mental illness and cut to the chase.
Slabside posted at 4:50 pm on Tue, Jan 8, 2013.
Captain Neo-Con stupidly says, "Joe's volunteer militia are not much better trained than was that armed viligante in Florida who now pleads self defense."
And you have proof of this, right Dale?
I know several posse members and I know that they are qualified for this and several other law enforcement duties. How many do you know?
Diarrhea of the mouth Dale strikes again.
Mike McClellan posted at 5:23 pm on Wed, Jan 9, 2013.
I actually agree with the Sheriff in that a regular patrol is a deterrent. Even a madman sometimes has the clarity to know that a patrol car can quickly react to what's seen and make a call in.
But two questions:
Will it be a regular patrol? And will it be permanent?
Because if the patrols are sporadic or only temporary, then this is just another Arpaio publicity stunt.
Let's see what his posse's doing three months from now.
BobtheBridge posted at 1:30 am on Thu, Jan 10, 2013.
"Lets see, a bunch of old birther coots with insufficient training" Commenter, of course, knows all and believes he himself is an alien from another planet. Then there are the comments from the "I believe everything I read" group who undoubtedly were selected from a group of thousands and "told" that posse members "reportedly" have criminal pasts. I'm confused who are you trying to impress??
bubba posted at 6:21 am on Thu, Jan 10, 2013.
BobtheBridge.. A report by CBS5 News uncovers posse members with criminal pasts.. "Arpaio wants his army of 3,000 volunteer posse members to look like sworn deputies and sometimes perform the same duties. But an in-depth project by CBS 5 Investigates uncovered a number of posse members with arrests for assault, drug possession, domestic violence, sex crimes against children, disorderly conduct, impersonating an officer - and the list goes on."... This is not to say there aren't any competent posse members, but there seems to be a lack of vetting out the criminal element...http://www.kpho.com/story/17159125/criminal-pasts-dont-disqualify-members-of-arpaio-posse
Mike McClellan posted at 9:17 am on Thu, Jan 10, 2013.
One of my questions was answered last night:
The posse will not patrol every school every day. I guess Arpaio hopes that a shooter appears on the days his posse actually patrols around the school.
bubba posted at 11:11 am on Thu, Jan 10, 2013.
Mike McClellan ...Actually Arpaio just hopes that a camera crew appears on the days his posse actually patrols around the schools. This is his true concern.