Lily Leung
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 20, 2007 08:31 AM
After a preliminary discussion Monday in Surprise, leaders from six West Valley police agencies came to a common conclusion on dealing with the recent closures of booking operations at two area satellite jails: appeal to Sheriff Joe Arpaio for help.
Police chiefs from Surprise, El Mirage, Glendale, Peoria, Youngtown and Wickenburg will draft a letter this week to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, asking him to reconsider closing the Bell and Dysart Jail in Surprise, a resource these cities have used to book crime suspects.
The holding facility was one of three suburban booking stations to close last week as a cost-saving measure by the Sheriff's Office. The others were the Avondale Jail and the Southeast Jail in Mesa.
Police chiefs from Surprise, El Mirage, Glendale, Peoria, Youngtown and Wickenburg will draft a letter this week to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, asking him to reconsider closing the Bell and Dysart Jail in Surprise, a resource these cities have used to book crime suspects.
The holding facility was one of three suburban booking stations to close last week as a cost-saving measure by the Sheriff's Office. The others were the Avondale Jail and the Southeast Jail in Mesa.
With these closures, all 26 police agencies in the Valley will have to book people at the Fourth Avenue Jail, and that "certainly causes some concern," said Surprise Police Chief Daniel Hughes, who hopes the letter will open up some dialogue.
Previously, Surprise police officers traveled about a mile east to book suspects, but now a roundtrip ride downtown could take almost two hours. And that's not factoring in the time it takes to wait for someone to get booked, Hughes said.
On a good day, that could eat up six hours of an officer's shift, he said.
"If Surprise gets there, and we're behind Mesa and the Sheriff's Office (in line,) and then there's DPS, we could be the sixth, or even eighth person to book a person," Hughes said. "That could take awhile."
The closures hurt the small agencies even more, said El Mirage Police Chief Michael Frazier, who needs at least four to six officers on the street at any given time.
Consequently, that could take two officers off the street, which will create "an unsafe situation for the community and for our officers responding to calls," Frazier said.
In the event the letter to Arpaio produces no results, the West Valley police chiefs came up with two possible solutions:
• Utilize Glendale Police Department's booking facility. The downside is, the facility only books misdemeanors, and felonies will still be taken downtown, Hughes said.
• Establish a rotating arrangement among agencies, where a different city will take the reigns each day
Last week, the Sheriff's Office said it was up to these agencies to find ways to bring their inmates to the downtown jail.
"I hope (Sheriff Arpaio) takes into consideration the local community and certainly what's best for all of us, and that's having the satellite facilities opened," Hughes said.
Previously, Surprise police officers traveled about a mile east to book suspects, but now a roundtrip ride downtown could take almost two hours. And that's not factoring in the time it takes to wait for someone to get booked, Hughes said.
On a good day, that could eat up six hours of an officer's shift, he said.
"If Surprise gets there, and we're behind Mesa and the Sheriff's Office (in line,) and then there's DPS, we could be the sixth, or even eighth person to book a person," Hughes said. "That could take awhile."
The closures hurt the small agencies even more, said El Mirage Police Chief Michael Frazier, who needs at least four to six officers on the street at any given time.
Consequently, that could take two officers off the street, which will create "an unsafe situation for the community and for our officers responding to calls," Frazier said.
In the event the letter to Arpaio produces no results, the West Valley police chiefs came up with two possible solutions:
• Utilize Glendale Police Department's booking facility. The downside is, the facility only books misdemeanors, and felonies will still be taken downtown, Hughes said.
• Establish a rotating arrangement among agencies, where a different city will take the reigns each day
Last week, the Sheriff's Office said it was up to these agencies to find ways to bring their inmates to the downtown jail.
"I hope (Sheriff Arpaio) takes into consideration the local community and certainly what's best for all of us, and that's having the satellite facilities opened," Hughes said.