(The Center Square) – The Arizona Sheriffs’ Association is asking Gov. Katie Hobbs and state lawmakers to consider a significant increase in local law enforcement funding.
In a letter to the governor and legislative leaders, the group is asking for lawmakers to double the amount of funds designated for authorities, citing border security concerns.
“To increase our effectiveness, we ask that the state double its contribution to local law enforcement to allow us to deploy more resources to interdict human and drug smugglers,” the group wrote. “The money allows for more deputies patrolling the roads, more canine handlers and dogs to sniff out drugs, and better technology to match the wealth and equipment used by the cartels.”
The letter points out that it would be a small portion of the state budget to go from $12 million in funding from fiscal year 2024 to $24 million in fiscal year 2025.
“While the $12 million is appreciated, it represents a minimal amount compared to the overall $17.8 billion budget. A doubling of its contribution barely makes a dent in the state budget but means a tremendous amount to the sheriff’s offices that patrol local highways and interstates, interdict drug and human smugglers, and rescue wayward migrants in the scorching desert,” they wrote.
The president of the association, Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes, told The Center Square that the money would be used differently depending on the needs of each county.
When it comes to how the use of taxpayer funds will be transparent and accountable if the funding is doubled, Rhodes said there are ways to make sure that the additional money would be used for border-related matters.
“So when the money is allocated, if it’s allocated in the budget, it’s allocated to one of the state agencies and the language of the legislation is the language that controls it. So the sheriffs submit to Arizona [Department of Public Safety], in this case, request on what they want to spend the money on. And then after reviewing the request and making sure it reconciles with the legislation, then the money gets allocated specifically for those things. And of course, it can be audited and whatnot,” Rhodes said.
“I mean, frankly, obviously, if you put deputies or detectives out into the counties, they’re going to be doing law enforcement, and there’s conceivably a time where they will be arresting people that are maybe not necessarily directly related to the border, but that’s a possibility,” the sheriff continued. “But the overall mission is going to be to respond to build capacity, build expertise, get people in place that can deal with large smuggling organizations or other things that do have a direct border impact.”
Migrants continue to pour across the southern border, with over 490,000 migrant encounters in fiscal year 2023 in the Yuma and Tucson sectors, according to Customs and Border Protection data.
The legislative session will start in January.
