Published: 04.23.2007

Pima Co. sheriff wants more deputies for border-crime unit
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is seeking $1 million from the Pima County Board of Supervisors to hire 12 additional deputies for a special unit to deal with border crime, officials said Monday.

The board will vote on next fiscal year's budget, which includes extra money, in June, said Supervisor Sharon Bronson at a press conference at the Sheriff's Department headquarters.

"For those of you who haven't visited the border, you need to," Bronson said. "Because it's a war zone."

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said at the press conference that the border crimes unit will begin operations today with a sergeant and six deputies. It will patrol the drug- and human-smuggling corridor west of the Tucson Mountains.

To form the unit, Dupnik dissolved the safe streets unit, which was deployed to metropolitan crime hot spots, and decided to have those deputies go after border criminals.
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