Sheriff on Guadalupe: You Can Have It

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With all the talk lately about whether Phoenix would take over the police contract for Guadalupe, we haven't had a clear sense of how Sheriff Joe Arpaio felt about keeping the $1.2 million annual contract.

Now we know: Phoenix can have it, he said.

In a letter hand-delivered to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon today, Cmdr. Tim Campbell of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says deputies "will gladly walk away from the town and let Phoenix police take over." As the accompanying news release says:

With the Sheriff's approval, Campbell and his deputies say Gordon can have the "keys to the substation" so deputies serving that community can be redeployed to other duties, including illegal immigration enforcement.

The letter goes on to dispute Gordon's contention that Guadalupe is a low-crime area, saying it has experienced 21 violent crimes since the beginning of the year.

The letter was co-signed by 15 other deputies. They're holding a press conference at 4 p.m. We'll be there.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 02:43 PM
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/CaseyNewton/21657