NEWSLETTER. CHAIRMAN Capt. Ansel Harmon Jail Commander/4th Ave

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1 Mar - July, 2014 ADA ESTABLISHED 1987 NEWSLETTER The Newsletter of the Arizona Detention Association Chairman: Capt. Ansel Wayne Harmon, Maricopa County / 1st Vice-Chairman, Commander Kenny Bradshaw, Cochise County / 2nd Vice-Chairman, James Kimble Chief Deputy Detention, Pinal County/ Secretary, Major Justin Solberg, Gila County / Treasurer, Don Bischoff, Mohave County. AJA Established in 1987 YET TO BE APPOINTED YET TO BE APPOINTED SECRETARY Major Justin Solberg Jail Commander Gila County 2nd VICE CHAIRMAN James Kimble Chief Deputy/Detention Pinal County CHAIRMAN Capt. Ansel Harmon Jail Commander/4th Ave 1st VICE-CHAIRMAN Kenny Bradshaw Jail Commander Cochise County TREASURER Don Bischoff Jail Commander Mohave County Arizona Detention Association Board Members Please visit the ADA website for Board member contact information: ADA Meeting Tuesday, July 15th 1330 hrs Coconino County Law Enforcement complex Flagstaff ADA COMMITTEE CONTACTS: Training Committee Capt. Ansel Wayne Harmon A_Harmon@MCSO.maricopa.gov Lesson Plan Committee Major Justin Solberg jsolberg@gilacountyaz.gov 34th Annual Law Enforcement POW WOW July At the LITTLE AMERICA HOTEL 2515 E. Butler Ave. (928) ADA Newsletter Lt. Swede Carlson scarlson@gilacountyaz.gov

2 MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE Joe Introduces Segregated Veterans' Unit in Arizona Jail Joe Arpaio Maricopa County Joe Arpaio has introduced a new jail unit specifically for inmates who served in the military, joining eight other jail units under his jurisdiction in Phoenix, Arizona. "They fought for our country. The least we can do is help them. When some came back, some had mental problems. We have drug prevention programs, alcoholism," said Arpaio. Known to some as America s Toughest," Joe Arpaio has drawn both intense praise and criticism. From male inmates in pink underwear to the world s first ever-female chain gang, the sheriff makes no apologies for the way he runs his jail. He hopes segregating the veterans will help keep them on the right track. I served in the military in the Korean War, so I have a bond with these guys. I want to see them succeed, said Arpaio. The cell blocks in the veterans unit are painted red, white and blue. Flags from all branches of the military hang from the ceiling, and military themes adorn the walls. The unit is home to 250 veterans, the majority from Maricopa County s Durango Jail, which houses over 2,200 general population male inmates. Inmate Touche Jamar Pouncey is an Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield veteran. He is currently in jail for probation violation, and admits transitioning back to civilian life was a challenge. "I've seen decapitations, I've seen people burned up. I've seen a lot of things that affected my brain and why I do the things that I do now," Pouncey said. Maricopa County Jail provides special services to the veteran inmates suffering from PTSD, such as psychological attention and job training. "Right now, I'm going through a class for depression, stress, and for anger management," said inmate Miguel Angel Valdominos. Special treatment programs are not the only benefits. Inmates in the veterans unit do not see the gang wars that dominate the jail's general population. "Where we've come from and what we've experienced throughout the military is camaraderie. It's deeper than what your race is. Being here is a blessing because we don't have to deal with the constant violence," said Pouncey. Joe says the program is still in the early stages, but he hopes it will keep these inmates on their feet upon release. "Everyone says they want to help the veterans, but we're actually doing something about it. We're doing this so these guys don't end up begging on the streets or back in here, said Arpaio. Aalia Shaheed is part of the Junior Reporter program at Fox News. Get more information on the program here and follow them on This article was taken from the AJA newsletter from April 1, 2014 Page 2

3 Matthew Searles Adult Women s Detention Center and Youth Development Center Administrator Colorado River Indian Tribes Creative Classification in Indian Country Most jails in Indian Country are smaller facilities with rated capacities of around 50 beds or less and a large majority were built using outdated linear style designs. A recent poll revealed that a high percentage of Indian Country Jails don t classify their inmates. Traditionally, Indian Country facilities were constructed without any classification methodology in mind making it nearly impossible to implement an objective classification model even though most Indian Country Jails operate under government funded contracts which require them to employ an Objective Jail Classification process. Making a successful classification program work under such adverse conditions doesn t mean it can t be done, it just requires some creativity, and even more important, willingness to be flexible. Take for example our newly renovated adult women s detention facility, which was built in 2011 with only two podular housing units and one booking cell. The facility itself is nice and has sufficient programming space but no thought was given in the design phase as to how a classification program would work. Most jails use three levels of classification (minimum, medium, and maximum) but with only two housing units available some skeptics surmised that a classification program in this situation wouldn t work, let alone a reclassification program. But we disagreed. We knew we just needed to think outside the box a little so we combined our minimum and medium females into a single classification which we aptly named general population and housed them together. All our maximum custody females went into the other housing unit. Our initial classification problem was solved but we were still having problems with our maximum females fighting with each other and continually disrespecting jail staff. With limited options, we needed to implement a re-classification program that would drive our inmates behavior the direction we wanted. In order for this to work we needed our maximum custody females to want to be in general population, not maximum custody, so we restricted the amount of time that the maximum females were allowed out of their cell to 4 hours per day, limiting their time and access to personal phone calls and television, while the females in general population still maintained their 12 hours per day out of cell and full TV and phone privileges. We also removed the maximum females access to group programs but we allowed them to work on individual programming packets in their cells which they could also take to their individual counseling sessions, while the females in general population still maintained full access to their programs and group sessions. Initially the maximum females were outraged at the new restrictions and the grievances flowed citing the changes as unfair, but after a short period of adjustment, the grievances stopped and the maximum females behavior is now exactly what we predicted it would be. The biggest concern we get from them now is request forms wanting to know when is my thirty day review so I can move to general population?. Page 3

4 JAIL TRAINING INITIATIVE Tate McCotter About the Author: Tate McCotter is the Administrator for the National Institute for Jail Operations (NIJO), a division of the National s Association Center for Public Safety. He also serves as the Executive Director for Accreditation, Audit & Risk Management Security (AARMS) and Chief Editor of the National Institute for Jail Operations website. McCotter has assisted with and coordinated the development, advisement and implementation of legal-based jail guidelines, standards, training initiatives and corresponding inspection and accreditation programs for jails all across the United States. He has presented and trained on legal-based jail standards, policy and procedure development, creating constitutionally safe jails, PREA, and auditing and inspection programs at numerous National s Association annual and winter conferences, state sheriff association meetings, state jail administration seminars and other training venues for cor- SOLUTIONS TO PREA by Tate McCotter (part 1) A headline like Jail Fails to Comply with PREA is not uncommon to read in the daily news. Unfortunately, some information being put out by various organizations is misrepresented on PREA and has caused confusion among our jails. Perhaps worse, they have negatively altered public perception of the s office and jails (After all, if you aren t DOJ PREA compliant, you must not care about protecting the inmates from rape, right?) That conclusion is, of course, false and sheriffs and jails need to be articulate in defending their positions. Governor Perry (TX) recently announced their state would not comply with the DOJ PREA standards and cited specific reasons. While he was still attacked by some inmate right advocate groups, many agreed and felt the Governor was justified in the decision because of the proof provided showing what Texas was doing and had done already to create a zero tolerance toward sexual abuse in prisons and jails. It was interesting to note that cost was just a minor part of that reasoning. s, jail administrators and county commissioners responsible for funding jails have turned their full attention to PREA. Many sheriffs have elected not to follow the voluntary DOJ PREA standards. Others have decided to adopt the standards. And some are still trying to figure out what the best interests are for the sheriff s office, inmates and county to address PREA. Outside organizations have also paid close attention to PREA and have hit the media to promote their own agendas. Recently, the North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union sent out letters to every sheriff in their state asking for copies of their PREA policies under their state open records act. According to ACLU policy director Sarah Preston, the ACLU has taken on the project to determine whether county sheriffs and their jails are in compliance with PREA because no one else checks on them, Preston said. Nobody really has control over the sheriffs except whoever elects them, she said. That s part of why we re investigating them. Page 4 Continued on Page 5

5 In discussions with them, the ACLU told NIJO they see PREA as an opportunity to get the laws changed regarding incarcerated juveniles in their state. Currently juveniles age can be housed with adults, which statute they strongly oppose. There are other issues as well they hope to address using PREA as a platform for change. Here are some facts about PREA every sheriff, jail administrator and line level officer should know. 1. Compliance with the DOJ PREA standards is VOLUNTARY. Because the phrase PREA is often incorrectly associated with the DOJ PREA standards, especially since their release in 2012, the Act and DOJ PREA standards have become synonymous as one and the same to many who do not know the difference. This is not true and is the root of many of the misunderstandings. In the follow up letters that were sent out to the NC sheriffs who were not DOJ PREA compliant, the ACLU wrote It is deeply troubling that your facility is making no efforts to comply with PREA given that this law is intended to realize the laudable goal of preventing sexual assault in jails and make reporting of assault easier for detainees. The letter, signed by ACLU-NC Policy Director Sarah Preston and ACLU-NC Legal Director Chris Brook reads PREA compliance is not optional and failure to implement the changes required by PREA puts your facility at risk. In phone calls made to the North Carolina ACLU office by the National Institute for Jail Operations staff, there wasn t a distinction made or recognized between the Act and the DOJ PREA standards whatsoever. s and jail administrators should take opportunities to clarify the differences while emphasizing the importance and efforts made to run constitutional jails. 2. All Jails should comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act passed in 2003 to create a zero tolerance culture of preventing sexual abuse and assaults in all correctional facilities. While there has been a lot of buzz about PREA, there is essentially no new cause of action in the Act for jails the duty to protect inmates from sexual abuse and assault was established well before the 2003 Act was passed. It does certainly put more awareness and attention on sexual abuse in jails than every before. Jails should continue to exercise all available means to prevent sexual assault from occurring. The degree at which jails should focus on PREA should be based on available resources. Running a constitutional jail requires much more than the prevention of sexual abuse and assault. There are many high liability issues jails face daily that create considerable risk including inmate discipline, use of force, suicide prevention, medical and mental health care. Prioritizing those with PREA is challenging but is the responsibility of the keeper of the Jail. 3. Saying you are PREA compliant, whether you are adopting the JOJ PREA standards or not isn t enough! Jails need policies, procedures and training which address PREA and document how they have created a zero tolerance environment toward sexual assault and abuse. Just like any other issue facing jails, PREA policies and practices must be legal-based, updated, and documented to beat claims of deliberate indifference. Many jails had widely implemented a large chunk of the provisions of the DOJ PREA standards well before they were released as a proactive means of addressing the need to protect inmates from sexual assaults. Others have used the DOJ PREA standards as a measuring stick and as a resource to update their current policies and procedures. With all the attention on PREA, many facilities have become painfully aware that their policies and practices need to be refined or put into an official format via a formal policy with documented training plans. Page 5

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7 SECURITY AWARENESS Thank you to all those who sent in these security alerts. Being able to alert the LEO s in the state can provide a good chance that it will prevent an Officer from harm or worse. Please continue to send in any security alerts that you may come across. This was found in a cell search on 02/24/2014 in Yavapai County with drug residue in it. It looks like a normal AA battery. It has a cap that twists off the top and is a hollow container. This is listed on Amazon.com for $4.96. Page 7 Continued on Page 8

8 Ball Cap with hidden compartment GILA COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE DETENTION Promotion On May 26, 2014 Officer Jamie Cunningham was promoted to the rank of Detention Sergeant for the Gila County Jail in Globe, Az. Sgt. Cunningham has been with the department since 2008 and has been an asset ever since. Sgt. Cunningham has always maintained a positive outlook about her job and co-workers and has continuously worked to improve moral and teamwork between staff and supervisors. Over the last 6 years Sgt. Cunningham has worked to learn and master new information and positions in the facility. Since 2012 Sgt. Cunningham has worked to help improve the training program and material for new booking officers and became a field training officer in For several months Sgt. Cunningham has been filling in as a lead officer on the graveyard shift and has maintained the same level of professionalism and dependability she exhibited as line officers. Sgt. Cunningham brings great potential and ideas to the supervisory ranks of the Gila County Jail and will continue to be a huge asset to the department in her new role. Congratulations to Sgt. Jamie Cunningham. Sgt. Jamie Cunninham Page 8

9 YUMA COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE DETENTION Graduation Lt. Joe Lackie On May 11 th, 2014 Detention Officers Salvador Salazar, David J. McCormick and Nathan H. Hunter successfully completed the Arizona Western College Law Enforcement Training Academy (AWCLETA) Academy Class#36. These officers committed themselves to the nine month academy which was scheduled from August 22 nd, 2013 thru May 11 th, Each officer met the Office responsibility of a 40 hour work week and then reported to training on their off time. In addition to the honors of graduation, Officer Salvador Salazar was the recipient of the Highest Physical Fitness award and David J. McCormick was the recipient of the Top Shot and the Highest Academic award. Their endurance, tenacity and commitment yielded the kind of personal and professional success that we all can be proud of. The graduating Officers are pictured with Yuma County Leon Wilmot; Detention Bureau Commander, Captain Mark Martinez; Detention Lieutenants Joe Lackie, Lt. Joe Brito and Lt. Ken Sanders. Page 9 Continued on Page 10

10 On May 14 th, 2014 the Yuma County s Office celebrated the graduation of the 78 th Detention Officer s academy at the Historic Theater in Yuma, Arizona. The motto of Class#78 Success and Nothing Less was demonstrated academically, physically and ethically. They represented themselves well as individuals and as a team. Congratulations. The graduating Officers are pictured as follows: First Squad bottom left: Kenneth Allmon, Matthew Haas, Evelyn Abalos, Sylvia Vasquez; Second Squad top left: Dwayne Smith, Robert Pompa, Christian Casillas and Ruben Contreras. Page 10

11 NAVAJO COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE Honor Guard I would like to introduce the Navajo County s Office Honor Guard. The members of the Honor Guard promote the s Office as a professional organization and serve those fallen warriors who Sergeant Dennis Warren have given the ultimate sacrifice. Navajo County Honor Guard members from left to right are Detention Officer II Keith Plympton, Patrol Sergeant Loran Larsen, Detention Sergeant Dennis Warren and two other Honor Guard members not in the picture but very much part of the team are Patrol Sergeant Jack Arend and Detention Sergeant Ted Mathias. Navajo County Honor Guard has been very busy so far this year, participating in several Memorials all over the state of Arizona and a huge Fundraiser for the 100 Club. Page 11

12 Thoughts from the Editor Lt. Swede Carlson Gila County s Office When I took over doing the ADA Newsletter, one thing that I did was give myself a self imposed ability to make a comment or two. Mostly I have used that opportunity to thank individuals or groups of the Detention family, which normally would not get the accolades, or deserved more. Well this time I am going to shake it up a bit for no reason at all, yes sometimes I can be a rebel. The photo below is a Selfie..It serves no purpose, no reasoning, nor has any part of the detention news around the state. I have watched in amazement through the years of the popularity of the selfie and how it has spread to even the highest office of this country. Well, just to show that this guy is not such an old goat and willing to invest in the future of I don t know what, I did a selfie for all to see. Please send me comments or sly remarks, if you find yourself doing nothing for no reason...bring it on, some may be worthy for print. For those who want to ride this trip to nowhere, send me your best selfie, if I get enough I may do a section for all to see and it will serve no purpose. July 9th, Scottsdale, Arizona Valor Training Sponsored by: Bureau of Justice Assistance. Hosted by: U.S. Attorney s Office, District of Arizona, Scottsdale Police Department and Rocky Mountain Information Network. Description: Designed for frontline law enforcement to promote safey and help prevent injuries and deaths to law enforcement officers in the line of duty. Tuition: Free. Location: Provided with registration confirmation. Registration: https;// Page 12

13 MOHAVE COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE DETENTION DIVISION It s a week after the Arizona Detention Association Annual training conference, and my nose has been back on the grind stone since the Friday following the conference. Mohave County was able to send 10 officers to the four day training and each and every officer was impressed with the facility, the training and the knowledgeable instructors who presented the relevant material. This was my first AZ Jails conference and I was impressed. I will work at sending at least twice the number of officers next year as it is an excellent training and networking opportunity. The conference was a success because of the hard work of the conference committee members, our Commander Don Bischoff sponsors, vendors and the ADA Board. A special thank you to Rally Point Alpha for their guidance and expertise in putting together a conference to be proud of. Our association and recent activities have caught the attention of our brothers and sisters in surrounding states. Our future is bright and filled with opportunities. As we head into summer, I m excited about a new law that will go into force. This law is something that is important to us all and will have a major impact on most County Jails across the state. ARS , previously known as HB2002 is now here! The Bill cleared the Senate on April 15 th and was signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer on April 16 th. The effective date of this new law will be July 24, In short, inmates in our jails who are found to have an active arrest warrant can now be re-arrested by Detention Officers. Most of us do not have certified peace officers regularly working in our jails, so these warrant situations required a Deputy to be pulled off the street to handle the arrest. When I testified before the Senate Public Safety Committee in February, I explained a scenario that took place in my county 364 times last year. An inmate was found to have a warrant and an officer had to come to the jail to serve the warrant. I explained to the senators that if each of those 364 cases involved a Deputy responded 15 minutes to the jail and then 15 minutes back to where he came from, that amounted to a minimum of 30 minutes in travel time alone. I afforded no time estimate to process the paperwork involved in rebooking the inmate and the associated court paperwork required. In travel time alone, we lost over 180 hours of patrol time from the Deputies to handle these warrants that our Detention Officers were more than capable of handling. 180 hours that a Deputy was not on the street patrolling or able to provide a rapid response to a call for service or to back a fellow officer in a time of need. I have to tell you that it was that simple explanation that caught their attention. How could they not approve legislation that would keep officers out on patrol where there were needed and kept the operational flow of our jails intact. On top of that, there was no budget or other cost increase associated with the decision. It was with the assistance of Representative Sonny Borrelli for sponsoring the bill and Special Counsel James Schoppmann for assisting in legal research and preparing draft legislation and proposed rule changes. The s in our state supported this as a unified voice, so I consider this a great accomplishment that the Arizona Detention Association and s of Arizona should be proud of. What s next? Well, I don t want to touch anything that has the affordable care working in it, but I have been looking at some issues involving extraditions in and out of Arizona involving our neighboring states. Page 13

14 MOHAVE COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE Detention Division Robert Vollbracht, Administrative Sergeant We truly enjoyed the A.D.A. Conference in early May. My compliments to the Board of Directors, all of the fine instructors, and Rally Point Alpha for putting together such a great event! The officers we sent for training came back rejuvenated and excited. Our Chaplain, Mike Querio won the Chaplain of the Year Award, and our s Posse Volunteer, Tom Henderson won the Volunteer of the Year Award. We hope to send many more officers next year and have more nominations for awards to recognize our top performers. In Mohave County news; we have promoted a new corporal. Corporal Peter Taylor has proven himself to be a consistently excellent detention officer and I expect no less from him as a corporal. Our appreciation goes out to Administrative Sergeant David Kell from Gila County, who traveled a great distance to sit on the oral board examinations. David and I got to spend some time together and discussed many of the issues each of us is trying to overcome. Something to Ponder: A recent event in our jail brought to light a disturbing underlying issue. As Commander Bischoff wrapped up a two-week investigation into situation, he met with everyone involved along with our Assistant Director and me. After asking what everyone learned from the situation and hearing the officers responses, he spoke about what he thought. This part of his discussion really stuck in my mind. What does it mean when someone has your back? Some say, That officer is there the second I call for backup. That officer will always jump in and help me restrain this unruly inmate. He will cover my post when I go to write my report, and he will write his report to complement my report. But most of all, when I am in dire straits, I know that when I call him or her they will come and "have my back" no matter what. I think having your back means several things. It certainly includes being there when needed. But having your back means your fellow officer has the discernment to tell when you are about to cross the line. Now that line is a little different for everyone. But let's face it. We all know what's right and what's wrong. If five officers go to a backup call and are overly aggressive to inmates and you know that it's wrong, it's going to be tough but it's up to you, in front of all the other officers, to stop any unfair or maybe even illegal behavior. What does that say to the inmate that was being unruly? It might say you are weak. It might say you are strong. What it definitely says to the other sixty people in the pod watching is that you have the professional- ism and discernment to tell what's right and what's wrong and you have the guts to stop the bad behavior of the other officers. We all lose our temper from time to time. We work in an environment that tests us daily. It is impera- tive that we pass this test. It is imperative that we assist our fellow offi- cers in passing this test as well. The people we supervise are not all dummies. They know what real respect is. They will know to respect you for your professionalism. You all know where that line is. Again, it may be a little different for some but there is a line and you do know when you or your fellow officer is about to cross it. Discernment is the word. The courage to discern is the behavior. Respect; real respect, is the result. Corporal Peter Taylor Page 14

15 PINAL COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE DETENTION Officer David Linderholm All is well here in Pinal County. We are still recovering from the awesome ADA conference that transpired in early May. Pinal was overjoyed to have one of our dedicated Sergeants, Tonya Delgado, selected as the 2014 ADA s Supervisor of the Year. Sergeant Delgado has been an employee of Pinal County s Office since April 7, During her tenure she has served as a Detention Officer, Corporal and Sergeant since April 22, Sergeant Delgado is an advocate for employees of PCSO through her involvement with the employee labor association, Law Enforcement Association of Pinal County and as a member of the Critical Incident Stress Management team. Sergeant Delgado has faced many challenges during her service to the Pinal County s Office, through each incident she has risen to the appropriate level and attained knowledge and experience which she uses to mentor peers and subordinates. PCSO celebrated officer appreciation week by spreading the activities over multiple weeks in an effort to celebrate staff all month. Pinal was able to send over 32 staff to the ADA conference. That was followed up by having an Ice Cream Social the following week. Then in the third week of May, staff were treated to a BBQ lunch from Detention command staff and Paul Babeu. Page 15 Continued on Page 15

16 Pat Tillman is an American and Arizona hero. To celebrate his service and sacrifice, the Pinal County s Office was happy to coordinate a group of staff that participated in the 10th Annual Pat s Run in Tempe, Arizona. The 2014 Pat s Run, was held this year on Saturday, April 26, The 4.2 mile Run/Walk to honor Pat, wound through the streets of Tempe to Sun Devil Stadium, ending at the 42-yard line of Frank Kush Field. The run/walk ended at a symbolic painting of the #42 jersey Pat wore as an ASU Sun Devil. The event raises scholarship funds for the Tillman Military Scholars. Detention Officer Gregg Baptisto has been a dedicated employee of the Pinal County s Office for 8 years. Officer Baptisto has worked with various custody levels and enjoys serving his community by working in Law Enforcement. Officer Baptisto is an avid Billiards aficionado and has recently qualified to participate in the United States Police & Fire Championships. This year s event will take place on June 23, 2014 in La Mesa California. Officer Baptisto said he has been involved in billiards since around the age of four(4) years old. Officer Baptisto says, Anyone can play the game, all it takes is lots of practice. For those just starting off or who are interested in getting better, Officer Baptisto recommends playing with someone who knows the game really well and who can teach you the nuances of the game. When asked, Officer Baptisto stated that one of the biggest joys he has taken from the game has been getting to meet and a talk with people from all over the country. Good job Greg and Good Luck! Officer Gregg Baptisto Page 16

17 SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE DETENTION PROMOTION Sgt. Daniel Soto On February 14, 2011, I was hired as Detention Officer for the Santa Cruz County s Office Adult Detention Division. In April of 2011, I graduated from the Arizona Department of Corrections Correctional Officers Training Academy located in Tucson AZ. Upon graduating and completing the department s required Field Training Officer (FTO) phase, I began to work as a line officer and took advantage of every opportunity to learn any new tasks at hand. In October of 2012, I was given the task of being a Lead Officer for my assigned shift and began learning the tasks of a supervisor in the absence of the Shift Corporal. In November of 2012, I was given the opportunity to become a certified Taser Instructor for the department and completed the required Instructor course with Taser International located in Scottsdale AZ. In September of 2013, I was certified as a Field Training Officer and General Instructor, to which I now train the departments newly hired officers in various course objectives. In February of 2014, I was promoted to the rank of Corporal in which I am currently assigned as the Graveyard Shift Supervisor. I am also a proud member of the Santa Cruz County s Office Honor Guard. Since hired by the Santa Cruz County s Office, I have challenged myself to become an asset and a leader within the department and to my fellow co-workers, by keeping an open mind and building on constructive criticism. I have learned to take advantage of the opportunities that have been granted to me so that I can better myself as an officer and as a supervisor in order to guide me and my fellow officers. I will always continue to pursue new challenges within the department to better serve the agency and the community. Page 17

18 YAVAPAI COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE CAMP VERDE Breaking ground are (from left) Camp Verde Councilwoman Jackie Baker, Scott Mascher, Camp Verde Councilwoman Carol German, Judge Joe Butner, County Administrator Phil Bourdon, Supervisor Tom Thurman (2), Supervisor Jack Smith (5), Supervisor Craig Brown (4) Judge Michael Bluff, and Facilities Director Ken Van Keuren. VVN/Bill Helm Scott Mascher CAMP VERDE...Yavapai County government is joining the growing number of solar plants, starting in Camp Verde. Yavapai County officials broke ground on a solar panel array to generate power for the Yavapai County Jail and Superior Court building. The pilot solar system will take advantage of the solar placement to shade vehicles in the court building parking lot. It s about time! declared Scott Mascher, Yavapai County. The jail uses a tremendous amount energy and this is exactly the route we need to go. Yavapai County and Camp Verde elected officials, Judges and others involved in the project wielded golden shovels to break ground. Thom Thurman, District 2 Supervisor who is shepherding the project, said APS has an upper limit beyond which local power generation is prohibited, so as not to become a power producer. The solar field at Camp Verde will fall just below that limit. The combined panel arrays will produce 791 kilowatts This article was taken from the June 10th edition of the AJAlert Newsletter. The article was submitted by Jon Hutchinson of the Verde Independent Newspaper out of Cottonwood, Arizona. For more information on this article Contact: jhutchinson@verdenews.com...or Yavapai County first: Court, Jail going solar of power and be cost neutral for the county. The most important thing Thurman Said, is that it will hold down our kilowatt hour cost for 20 years as electricity costs go up elsewhere. RGS Energy is building the project. The solar won t pay for everything, but it will cover a third of the cost that reaches about a half a million dollars per year. The project will generate power for the massive jail complex as well as the Superior Court Bldg and a proposed juvenile probation facility to be constructed nearby. Jack Smith, Dist 5 Supervisor, said the project would lessen our carbon footprint through an ongoing program to generate solar electricity and to save money for the taxpayers. The county will also add additional insulation and reflective material to also reduce costs, according to Kenney Van Keuren, County Facilities Director. The Camp Verde project is just the first of a series of Yavapai projects to go solar. The Yavapai County Juvenile Detention facility, being built in Prescott is being wired to accommodate solar as well. The county also hopes to build another jail nearby, and Thurman wants that facility to be powered by solar, too. Craig Brown of District 4 added, We are talking about retrofitting our other buildings, the records building and on Fair St.so we are trying to find as many places as we can make that application. Some will even have covered parking. It s a great plan and I am all for energy independence and cost savings to partner with the utility companies. I think it is a great concept, said Mascher. Page 18 Breaking ground are (from left) Camp Verde Councilwoman Jackie Baker, Scott Mascher, Camp Verde Councilwoman Carol German, Judge Joe Butner, County Administrator Phil Bourdon, Supervisor Tom Thurman (2), Supervisor Jack Smith (5), Supervisor Craig Brown (4) Judge Michael Bluff, and Facilities Director Ken Van Keuren. VVN/Bill Helm. of

19 COCONINO COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE DETENTION Coconino County s Office Trains Detention Officers to Enhance the Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program in Northern Arizona Since 1995, the Arizona Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program (LEPP) has evolved into an effective tool for investigating and convicting DUI cases. A history of the program is nicely outlined in a handout on Blood Draws and The Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program Handout developed for a presentation at the 2014 Life Savers Conference (moderators: Jared D. Olsen, Warrant Diepraam; presenters: L. Beth Barnes, Eric Bejarano). The success of the program is due to the foresight and ground breaking steps taken by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Attorney General s Office, and Phoenix College law enforcement. Among the benefits were a decrease in refusals for DUI chemical tests, an increase in the number of blood draws taken not only for serious crimes but also misdemeanors, an increase in successful convictions of DUI drivers due to more blood samples submitted as evidence, a streamlining in search warrant requests for blood samples, and a public safety chain of command for evidentiary blood draws. Along with these procedural and legal benefits, blood draws also became more cost effective when conducted by law enforcement agencies. However, we shouldn t stop there when looking for ways to improve how this program can be implemented to benefit the communities we serve. Already, there are agencies in Arizona that not only train their sworn peace officers as phlebotomists, but also detention officers and other civilian staff. It is important to continue to consider the benefits of training detention staff or other civilians. For our agency, one of the benefits was the ability to significantly increase our number of law enforcement staff available and trained phlebotomy. The Coconino County s Office implemented LEPP in 2005 when we partnered with Coconino Community College to develop LEPP for Northern Arizona. The course was based on the curriculum established by Phoenix College and supported by the Arizona Governor s Office of Highway Safety. At one point, we had 8 out of 67 sworn peace officers trained as phlebotomists. With retirements and turnover, the ability to maintain a trained phlebotomist on each shift became more difficult. We recently found ourselves with only 4 sworn peace officers trained as phlebotomists. These phlebotomists were performing on average 118 blood draws each year, many of these as an assist for other Northern Arizona law enforcement agencies. Even with cooperation among Northern Arizona law enforcement agencies in assisting each other with blood draws, we recognized the need to actively build out our program to ensure the number of blood draws was not limited by staffing. Because we provide the regional detention facility in Coconino County, the natural choice was to train detention officers as phlebotomists. By having at least one detention officer from each shift trained, we felt we would be able to provide this service to agencies that may not have a trained phlebotomist on shift and to help patrol officers stay in field rather than be called in to conduct a blood draw. In 2013, Coconino County s Office staff met with the School of Nursing staff at Coconino Community College to revitalize the LEPP for Northern Arizona. After several months of meeting, validating the curriculum, and coordinating with local medical providers for practical experience, the Northern Arizona Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program class was revived in February The primary goal was to train detention officers in phlebotomy, but a number of seats were also made available for sworn peace officers in Northern Arizona. Page 19 Continued on Page 19

20 The course involved a week long classroom component that covered topics ranging from human anatomy, practical exams on blood drawing, policy, legal issues, OSHA guidelines, and courtroom testimony. While the classroom section was only a week long, the course required students complete quite a bit of preparation, such as completing reading the course text book, homework assignments, online workshops, immunization requirements, and a pre-test. Through an agreement and approval of Flagstaff Medical Center and Sonora Quest Laboratories, students were able to demonstrate the required 100 blood draws. To maintain their qualification as a phlebotomist, each must perform at least 24 blood draws each year and complete a refresher every two years for review by the Arizona Governor s Office of Highway Safety. In a county that covers over 18,617 square miles, we anticipate significant travel savings and better service to our communities by keeping peace officers in the field and utilizing our detention staff to assist with blood draws. While many agencies have found a time savings in the booking process by having officers conduct blood draws in the field, we find that most Northern Arizona are conducting their blood draws at our detention facility. Qualified detention staff also can support task force operations at DUI command trailers not only by providing transports, but also by assisting with phlebotomy processes. We believe we are able to reduce pressures on patrol staff while still maintaining the chain of custody and courtroom testimony within the law enforcement resource base. We plan to continue to enhance our Phlebotomy Program with future classes to qualify staff. We now have a total of 11 qualified phlebotomists, four sworn peace officers and seven detention officers, who can provide this service. Qualified phlebotomists available at the booking facility will provide Northern Arizona law enforcement with additional resources to complete their investigations requiring blood draws. In addition it provides our detention staff with the opportunity and motivation to develop additional skills. The Coconino County s Office uses blood draws to investigate approximately 60 DUI cases each year. In addition, we use blood draws in investigating other crimes such as homicides and sexual assaults. Since we are a regional detention facility, other law enforcement agencies also have needs for phlebotomists. Having qualified phlebotomists on staff serves our communities by ensuring staff resources are dedicated to the demands for drawing blood to address threats DUI drivers pose to public safety as well as to assist in the investigation of other crimes. From left to right: Detention Officer II Alicia Flores, Detention Officer I Amy Grace Lewis, Detention Sergeant Tom Hover, Sergeant Jason Lurkins, Deputy Chief Jim Driscoll. Other team members not shown: Detention Sergeant Chris Fulmer, Detention Officer I Marcelena Rupp, Detention Officer I Matthew Mitchell, Detention Officer I Joshua Mainack, Deputy Matthew Curtis, Deputy Jennifer Morrison and Sergeant Gerrit Boeck Contributors/Authors of this article are: Matt Figueroa, Detention Lieutenant Jason Lurkins, Patrol Sergeant Detention Officer Marcelena Rupp Page 20 Detention Officer Alicia Flores