Conrad Tolson
Sheriff Ross Teeple and Eloy Police Chief Sergio Banalas were guests at our May meeting.
Sheriff Teeple: Per the Arizona Constitution, the Sheriff is the chief law enforcement for the county; however, they work closely with and support local police and the State Troopers.
Pinal County is the size of the state of Connecticut, and the Sheriff has 249 deputy slots to cover it. However, they are currently 19 short of their authorized limit. Like most law enforcement agencies, they are having difficulty finding qualified applicants to fill the vacancies.
Pinal County is one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. Once a new community incorporates, the Arizona Constitution calls for the Sheriff to provide local police protection for one year. Most communities will continue to keep in contract with the Sheriff to keep them as police for a number of years. Maricopa recently took 9 years, and Queen Creek took 11 years before they got their own police.
Regarding drug trafficking: Until recently, law enforcement were having high-speed pursuits of smugglers and traffickers about three times per day on I-10, but with recent changes in border enforcement that has dropped to less than once a week, and the cartels have returned to running drugs over the Sawtooth Mountains that straddle the Arizona-Mexican border on the Tohono O’odham reservation, which is off-limits to state law enforcement. The Sheriff is working on acquiring technology to monitor the border and aid in interdiction.
Eloy Police Chief Banalas: Eloy city limits cover 115 square miles, and Eloy Police Department (PD) has 32 positions authorized to cover it, but it is currently five officers short. They had 1,300 calls for service in April, 228 of which required officer response. Family disturbances are one of the most common calls.
The Eloy PD is emphasizing staff development (training) and getting technology to keep up with criminals. For example, Eloy PD has a drone that recently helped them track down a fleeing suspect.
The Department is also emphasizing community engagement, and they have an Adopt-a-School program where officers drop by their schools two to three times per week to improve relationships and also to check for physical vulnerabilities on the campus. The Chief said that Eloy has a very low crime rate, and citizens should feel safe walking the streets.
The Robson Ranch Republican Club meets monthly, usually at 9 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month. If you would like to visit our club to learn more about what’s going on in our community and state, contact the Republican Club at RRAZRC@gmail.com or watch the Mid-Week Scoop for meeting times and locations.