Friends, racism, discrimination and socioeconomic inequality exists in this country. There is no denying this. These things have no place in our country (period). I do not believe there is systemic racism infiltrating law enforcement. Systemic is an important word. I see no evidence of that. Even the vast majority of democrats readily admit the majority of law enforcement officers are good people. We need to weed out the bad apples. They have no place in our profession and do not represent who we really are. Thanks. Sheriff Napier
I have worked hard to be a good Sheriff for all people of Pima County. Over the past nearly four years progress has been made. There is more work to do on meaningful reform, hiring, compensation and engagement with the community. Being a Sheriff is not, or should not, be a partisan issue. Public safety is a community issue, a quality of life issue that is neither democrat nor republican, neither progressive nor conservative. It should be what is about good public policy. Heck, I even read the Weekly. Thanks to the above for the indication of confidence. Thank you, Sheriff Napier
Folks, yes I do read the Weekly.
I have advocated for humanitarian aid because I believe in it. Unfortunately, even though allowed by the federal rules, they turned down our request to allocate a small portion of Stonegarden funds toward humanitarian aid. During this time, HB3401 was passed. It contains grant funding to specifically to address humanitarian aid for communities addressing the crisis associated with asylum-seeking migrants. Pima County can, and should, apply for funding from HB3401. I would fully support doing so. With respect to Stonegarden funding, I do support the county accepting it as it has for more than a decade. I know this is disquieting and disagreeable to some. However, we do face many public safety challenges with respect to our proximity to the international border. Drug and human trafficking are issues for our community. Stonegarden funding allowed me to deploy more resources to the address of these issues and purchase equipment with those funds rather than ours. We are not in the business of proactive enforcement of immigration laws and will not be on my watch. In fact, we do not have the authority to enforce immigration laws. We do collaborate and work with our federal partners on public safety issues. Do we occasionally come across undocumented persons while doing so, yes. It is actually very infrequent. I understand the apparent entanglement with Border Patrol is disagreeable to many of you. However, the resource and intelligence sharing that we engage in is valuable to public safety.
I hope you can understand my point of view and appreciate the time taken to convey it in this venue. We likely may not agree, but should always seek to do so in a respectful manner.
Tom, you might have been harder on this kid than I even would have been. That said, your assessment was not unfair. Further, it was accurate. I believe he has been released from BP custody. I am not certain that is the case, as after we call them it is their investigation. I believe my deputy acted appropriately, reasonably and in accord with department policy. It may surprise some that I actually read the Weekly. I do.
Very proud to be endorsed by the Tucson Weekly. I will represent ALL people of Pima County and understand that as your Sheriff my affirmative responsibility is to protect the rights and liberties of everyone.
Recent Comments
I have advocated for humanitarian aid because I believe in it. Unfortunately, even though allowed by the federal rules, they turned down our request to allocate a small portion of Stonegarden funds toward humanitarian aid. During this time, HB3401 was passed. It contains grant funding to specifically to address humanitarian aid for communities addressing the crisis associated with asylum-seeking migrants. Pima County can, and should, apply for funding from HB3401. I would fully support doing so. With respect to Stonegarden funding, I do support the county accepting it as it has for more than a decade. I know this is disquieting and disagreeable to some. However, we do face many public safety challenges with respect to our proximity to the international border. Drug and human trafficking are issues for our community. Stonegarden funding allowed me to deploy more resources to the address of these issues and purchase equipment with those funds rather than ours. We are not in the business of proactive enforcement of immigration laws and will not be on my watch. In fact, we do not have the authority to enforce immigration laws. We do collaborate and work with our federal partners on public safety issues. Do we occasionally come across undocumented persons while doing so, yes. It is actually very infrequent. I understand the apparent entanglement with Border Patrol is disagreeable to many of you. However, the resource and intelligence sharing that we engage in is valuable to public safety.
I hope you can understand my point of view and appreciate the time taken to convey it in this venue. We likely may not agree, but should always seek to do so in a respectful manner.
Thanks, and Happy New Year.
Sheriff Napier
Sheriff Napier