According to industry standards, the safest model for incarceration is one that allows for “direct supervision.” The Pima County Adult Detention Complex does not meet such a model. There are current jail designs being utilized in Australia that do not cost $800 million (which is near the highest estimate for what a new jail could cost Pima County). I will work with others to find a funding source with a budget that is more fiscally responsible and that makes sense.

Deaths at the Pima County jail reflect critical failures, leaving families without closure and exposing the county to potential liabilities exceeding $100 million. These issues stem from staffing shortages, inconsistent medical care, drug infiltration and mental health challenges. To address these problems, I propose hiring 150 correctional officers and implementing paramedic services for emergency care. Collaborating with local healthcare providers like Banner Health and El Rio can enhance services, while AI technology can improve inmate safety. Allocating funds for a secure hospital setting and establishing a community committee for prevention and staff education is also crucial for success.

At the June 8 Democratic primary debate hosted by the Green Valley Democrats, Rosenthal also suggested El Rio Health Center and Banner Health should take over medical care in the jail. The current medical care provider in the jail is NaphCare, an Alabama-based for-profit company. In approximately the first year of service, the county docked NaphCare more than $3 million for understaffing and failing to uphold contractual standards.

The most pressing issue that has been the underlying cause of many of the Pima County Adult Detention Complex’s issues is staffing. The lack of foresight and strategic thinking in 2021 caused a crisis in staffing never experienced. Due to this decision, inmate welfare declined tremendously, in addition to employee morale. The combination of the two was disastrous. We are thankfully making improvements daily due to the current leadership at the jail caring about inmate welfare and employee welfare. When we allow ego-based leadership to exist, neither of those can flourish.

A policy making staff unable to manage arrestees at the jail who say they are under the influence of fentanyl is the most pressing issue at the jail. We need to change infrastructure and facilitate a medical team so we can monitor inmates and intervene if they overdose. This will also help with the homeless issue where people who say they are under the influence of fentanyl are either not physically arrested or field released once medically rejected at the jail. It is imperative that we hold people accountable and leverage them into treatment to get a handle on the homelessness issue.

“We have adequate room in the jail,” Frederick said at a June 1 campaign event. He said that if the jail became overpopulated, the county could transfer and house detained people in the Santa Cruz County jail. On his campaign website, Frederick listed drug and human trafficking among his main priorities. On human trafficking, he said that by “raising awareness, supporting victim services and strengthening communication among community leaders, we can create a hostile environment for traffickers and protect those at risk.”

This legislation is unnecessary, because law enforcement agencies currently have the authority to stop anyone entering the country unlawfully.

I oppose HCR 2060. The Supreme Court has said this is a federal responsibility. We have Border Patrol for this very issue. I do not have the staffing to handle this law if it is enacted. The Pima County jail is full. This law could strain community relations and divert law enforcement resources in our community. It risks racial profiling claims and lawsuits. The decision rests with Arizona voters. If this becomes law, we will enforce it with due diligence.

HCR 2060 is only empowering officers and deputies. The fear mongering that it includes a “show me your papers” clause is just not true. While I will agree that we do not have the resources to responsibly enforce federal law, this bill allows our deputies to (with probable cause) enforce illegal crossings in areas other than ports of entry. Additionally, the stipulation within the bill which dictates if a jail is full, agencies can bring their arrestees to state department of corrections instead, takes the overcrowding burden away from counties with jails.

I support HCR 2060 to be used as a tool to arrest people here illegally who are a danger to the community. We do not have the resources to focus solely on immigration violations; but under circumstances where we don’t have state charges to arrest, this would give us the ability to take someone into custody here illegally that is a danger to society.

On his campaign website, Frederick did not specifically address HCR 2060 but addressed problems frequently associated with the border. “Drug trafficking, including fentanyl, which is one of the deadliest smuggled drugs today, not only jeopardizes the safety of our neighborhoods but also undermines the well-being of individuals and families,” his website states. “By working collaboratively with law enforcement, community organizations and citizens like you, we can implement strategies to prevent the spread of drugs and secure a safer future for our families and neighborhoods.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is currently down 21 deputies and nine correctional officers. Once we have reached 100%, I will go back to the board of supervisors and request an increase based on Department of Justice Uniform Crime Reporting stats and department needs.  

My team created a solution in 2021, with a recruitment team with a robust recruitment model that has been successful in increasing our deputy and correctional officer staffing numbers.

These steps will address staffing challenges effectively:

Recruitment

• Go to JTED programs, community colleges and universities throughout Arizona.
• Continue hosting job fairs.
• Advertise extensively.
• Actively recruit exiting military personnel and members of the National Guard and reserve units.

Hiring

• Reduce and streamline the process from six months to 90 days.
• Run four academies a year instead of the current eight-month cycle.

Retention

• Provide leadership, vision and build relationships.
• Advocate for competitive salary and benefit packages throughout one’s career.
• Provide ongoing training.
• Remove state taxes from the Public Safety Retirement program.
• Ensure a competitive promotion process exists at each level.

A legitimate study must be completed by the board of supervisors in order to determine effective staffing numbers for the population of Pima County, and this must not be changed by manipulative movement of staffing numbers. Our current most pressing problem with staffing is retention and this is due to the toxic workplace culture created by a good ol’ boy, crony-based system implemented for decades within this agency.

There is currently a shell game being played. The current administration has removed PCN’s to other areas to appear staffed or fully staffed. (PCN stands for personnel control number, and is a technical way of saying an employee.) We have so many allotted for each position we employ. If they aren’t filled within 365 days they can be reallocated per county policy. So we were understaffed for so long at the jail they moved almost 80 PCN’s and now it “looks” like we are fully staffed. 

On my website I have outlined a reserve program as part of my platform. This will keep skilled deputies who are retiring on staff in a limited capacity at a reduced cost. I will also ask for the community’s help to push the board of supervisors for additional money to increase our current number by 60 to 100 deputies and corrections officers.

“Right now the department is 30% below fully staffed. Show respect. Get quality people based on leadership abilities,” Frederick said at a candidate forum on June 17. “The department is so toxic right now that people are leaving. Allow them to do their job without fear of retaliation. We can recruit females, Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, by giving them a chance and don’t degrade them. Everyone should be given their fair share and be held accountable.”