Guadalupe panel backs dropping sheriff’s patrols

Guadalupe should act quickly to replace the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the town's police force for two decades, a residents' committee recommends. In a report released Wednesday night, the Guadalupe Public Safety Committee described sheriff's deputies as disinterested in protecting the tiny town and its mostly Hispanic population.

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The findings are largely based on residents' opinions about how well the sheriff's office has served Guadalupe, which were unanimously negative.

"If anything, all were adamant that it is time for our council to seriously look at alternatives," the report said.

Ultimately, the committee recommends re-establishing Guadalupe's own police department. But by month's end, the Town Council should determine who would protect its 5,400 residents in the short term. The report names the state Department of Public Safety and the Phoenix Police Department as candidates.

In April, Sheriff Joe Arpaio notified Guadalupe officials his agency was terminating its contract with the town and would remove its deputies in October.

Arpaio's decision came in response to criticism from Guadalupe Mayor Rebecca Jimenez, who accused deputies of racial profiling during "crime suppression" sweeps through the town in March. The sweeps resulted in the arrests of five illegal immigrants, as deputies checked the residency of each person stopped on suspicion of a crime or traffic violations.

Arpaio denied the allegations and said the criticism was tantamount to restricting his authority to police Guadalupe. The sheriff has repeatedly defended his deputies as responsive and inexpensive.

Guadalupe spent roughly $1.2 million for services by deputies last year.

The committee report was supposed to be part of a public meeting, but the council narrowly voted to table its entire agenda moments after the meeting opened. The mayor moved to cancel the meeting because Councilwoman Patricia Jimenez's father is gravely ill.

The agenda also included a vote on whether to strip Rebecca Jimenez and Roy Perez, the vice mayor, of their titles. The council decides those positions.

The mayor's comments about the sheriff's office have widened rifts between council members.

"It's one person, and we've got a community of 6,000 people we need to address," Councilwoman Yolanda Solarez said, upset over the meeting's abrupt ending.

Council members said they only received the committee's report Wednesday night and declined to comment on its recommendations.