Arizona leaders decided to create a border patrol to curb the free flow of drugs and people north. The sheriff’s office puts its money to good use by seizing drugs and making arrests. Our hope is that Governor Katie Hobbs and Congress will prioritize funding strike forces in the 2023 session so we can continue to do good work.
Last year, enough fentanyl pills were released in Arizona to kill each and every one of the state’s more than seven million residents.
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Deputies seized more than 1 million fentanyl pills in 2022 alone. Much of its success with lawmakers is due to direct state funding under the Border Strike Task Force.
As Arizona’s new governor, Katie Hobbs faces one of the most thorny issues early in her governorship. What will she do to stem the flow of drugs and illegal crossings at the southern border?
With her first budget announcement, Hobbes decided to end the Border Patrol and direct funds to the Patrol Division of the Department of Public Security. Her budget continues to allocate funds to local law enforcement agencies, but questions remain about who has access to the funds.
Navajo County Sheriff David Claus
Members of the Arizona Sheriffs Association, as heads of agencies that benefit from the state’s investment in law enforcement efforts related to border crimes, told Governor Hobbs that the Border Task Force spent for local law enforcement agencies encourages consideration of the significant work done with the funds of state.
Although Yavapai County does not share a border with Mexico, there is little doubt that it flows illegally across large stretches of unprotected borderland and legally reaches our region through ports. Hobbs’ draft budget specifically allocated $12 million in one-time funding for “border law enforcement grants.”
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Canine Deputies seized more than one million fentanyl pills funded by Border Patrol. The state covers his three-quarters of the salaries and benefits of four canine police officers who patrol the roads of the Verde Valley and Prescott areas looking for drug and human smugglers.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb
In Navajo County, sheriff’s deputies patrol a small portion of the mostly transcontinental Interstate 40. In 2022 alone, sheriff’s deputies seized more than two million fentanyl pills from him.
The drug and human smuggling corridor through Cochise County is busier than ever. His $450,000 funding for the Border Strike Task Force will fund six lawmakers and cover costs related to prosecution and prison operations.
Border Strike Force is not without controversy. While some question the validity of the dollars remitted to the Department of Public Safety, sheriff’s offices across the state receive money allotted by Congress and make the most of those funds. In the current fiscal year, local law enforcement can expect to receive more than $11 million. Now that Hobbs has control over her DPS, she might want to repurpose the funds for her Border Strike Task Force. But state sheriffs want Mr. Hobbs and Congress to continue to transfer state funds to local law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona.
Yavapai County Sheriff David Rose
We routinely see the impact of borders that are operationally out of control. Thousands of people from all over the world arrive in Mexico to cross illegally. Additionally, the federal Title 42 program, which restricts asylum seekers from entering the country, may soon be canceled, furthering border disruptions.
Arizona leaders have decided to launch a Border Strike Task Force to curb the free flow of drugs and people north. The sheriff’s office puts its money to good use by seizing drugs and making arrests. I hope Governor Hobbs and Congress will prioritize funding strike forces in his 2023 session so we can continue to do a good job.
David Rhodes is the Sheriff of Yavapai County. David Clouse is a Navajo County Sheriff and Mark Lamb is a Pinal County Sheriff.
