NOGALES — The Arizona Sheriffs’ Association has sent a letter raising concerns that the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is not responding to some requests for help, KTAR News reported.
The association said state and federal law enforcement officials reported that the sheriff’s office turned down calls involving alleged violence, threats and property damage.
The letter also says Sheriff David Hathaway has spoken publicly about telling deputies not to respond to calls connected to an ongoing border-wall protest in Lochiel unless violence is involved.
Association President and Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse wrote that partners reported repeated unanswered requests and that a sheriff’s duty to keep the peace “cannot be set aside because an incident involved federal operations.”
Sources: KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Salvador Vitanza / CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.
