Thread: NC sheriff seeks to learn from Pinal lawmen

NC sheriff seeks to learn from Pinal lawmen


by Lindsey Collom - Aug. 19, 2010 05:44 PM
The Arizona Republic
.

The president of the North Carolina Sheriff's Association paid a visit to southern Arizona this week to witness how authorities are combating illegal immigration.

Sheriff Samuel Page and one of his chief lawmen rode along for several days with Pinal County deputies and met with Border Patrol agents in Douglas.


Page, a lawman of nearly 30 years and Rockingham County sheriff since 1998, is seeking reelection and said he wanted to see firsthand the challenges of law enforcement near the U.S./Mexico border after watching a Fox News report about the shooting of Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll. On April 30, Puroll was wounded in a gunfight with suspected drug runners in a desert area off Interstate 8.

Page said he called Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu "a couple days later, and I said I'm concerned about what's going on . . . I would like to come out and visit." While Babeu's department hosted the pair, Page said he and his SWAT commander bankrolled the trip.

Rockingham County has a population of about 92,000 residents and is in north central North Carolina. Page said that although his county is about a 32-hour drive from southern Arizona, it is affected by a porous border: the county jail houses a number of illegal immigrants and about 50 percent of drugs in North Carolina originate from Mexico.

"Criminal activity along our southern borders does have an effect on the interior states," Page said."The drug and human trafficking that is passing through Arizona bleeds into all of the United States. I believe that national security should begin at our borders.National security should not be about politics but rather about protecting our citizens."

North Carolina is one of a number of states across the U.S. where lawmakers are looking at proposing legislation similar to Arizona's new immigration law.

Late last month, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton blocked key provisions of Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect, including one that compelled officers engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest to, when practicable, ask about a person's legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

With his trip winding up, Page said he plans to return to North Carolina and tell other sheriffs in his state that "we need to stand and support sheriffs along the border. That's the only way we're going to get a handle on the influx of illegals."

In a statement issued Thursday, Babeu commended Page for his effort and issued a challenge to President Barack Obama.

"President Obama should follow Sheriff Page's lead and be as concerned with securing our border," Babeu said. "The president should suspend his political fundraising trips and interrupt his vacations to come see what we're facing. Truly more than a serious public safety concern, but a significant national security threat to America."

www.azcentral.com

Oh NOW he decides illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and illegal alien crime is a real problem in Rockingham County. Better late than never, I suppose. Though it does make me wonder if it's because he has a strong opponent in the race for Rockingham County Sheriff this November- really the first legitimate opponent since Page's election to the office. Don't get me wrong, I like Sheriff Page. He's done some good things here, but he has NOT- Absolutely Not - done nearly enough to address the illegal alien problem here in the county. And the jail is extremely tight with arrest information when it comes to certain ethnic groups.

We will see. I'm glad to hear he's supporting the border sheriffs.