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2010 FALLEN OFFICERS MEMORIAL WALK
National Police Week is May 9th – May
15th. To show our support for fallen officers, the Maricopa
County
Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the Arizona
Department of Public Safety and the City of Phoenix Police
and Fire Departments, presents the 2010 Memorial Walk.
All employees, families and friends are
invited to attend this year’s Memorial Walk.
To honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice…
Come Walk with us to Remember & Honor Our Fallen Heroes.
“They Served Well”
Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 7:30 to 9:30 AM
Central Court Plaza
201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix
Events:
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Memorial:
Introduction
City Of Phoenix Employees’ Memorial: Bell Ceremony/Drum &
Pipe Band
Arizona Peace Officers Memorial: Bugler
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Memorial: 21-Gun
Salute/Bagpiper
The walk is approximately 3 miles long. Free parking
available during the event.
Questions should be directed to: Lt. Mark Myers 602-876-4406
or Lt. Justin Griffin 602-876-3961
County Sheriff Can Bust Big Bro
by Dave Robinson
Keene Free Press March 31, 2008
The duly elected sheriff of a county is
the highest law enforcement official within a county. He has
law enforcement powers that exceed that of any other state
or federal official.
This is settled law that most people are not aware of.
County sheriffs in Wyoming have scored a big one for the
10th Amendment and states rights. The sheriffs slapped a
federal intrusion upside the head and are insisting that all
federal law enforcement officers and personnel from federal
regulatory agencies must clear all their activity in a
Wyoming County with the Sheriff’s Office. Deja vu for those
who remember big Richard Mack in Arizona.
Bighorn County Sheriff Dave Mattis spoke at a press
conference following a recent U.S. District Court decision
(Case No. 2:96-cv-099-J (2006)) and announced that all
federal officials are forbidden to enter his county without
his prior approval ......
"If a sheriff doesn’t want the Feds in his county he has the
constitutional right and power to keep them out, or ask them
to leave, or retain them in custody."
The court decision was the result of a suit against both the
BATF and the IRS by Mattis and other members of the Wyoming
Sheriff’s Association. The suit in the Wyoming federal court
district sought restoration of the protections enshrined in
the United States Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution.
Guess what? The District Court ruled in favor of the
sheriffs. In fact, they stated, Wyoming is a sovereign state
and the duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law
enforcement official within a county and has law enforcement
powers exceeding that of any other state or federal
official." Go back and re-read this quote.
The court confirms and asserts that "the duly elected
sheriff of a county is the highest law enforcement official
within a county and has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING
that of any other state OR federal official." And you
thought the 10th Amendment was dead and buried — not in
Wyoming, not yet.
But it gets even better. Since the judge stated that the
sheriff "has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING that of any
other state OR federal official," the Wyoming sheriffs are
flexing their muscles. They are demanding access to all BATF
files. Why? So as to verify that the agency is not violating
provisions of Wyoming law that prohibits the registration of
firearms or the keeping of a registry of firearm owners.
This would be wrong.
The sheriffs are also demanding that federal agencies
immediately cease the seizure of private property and the
impoundment of private bank accounts without regard to due
process in Wyoming state courts.
Gosh, it makes one wish that the sheriffs of the counties
relative to Waco, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
regarding their jurisdictions were drinking the same water
these Wyoming sheriffs are.
Sheriff Mattis said, "I am reacting in response to the
actions of federal employees who have attempted to deprive
citizens of my county of their privacy, their liberty, and
their property without regard to constitutional safeguards.
I hope that more sheriffs all across America will join us in
protecting their citizens from the illegal activities of the
IRS, EPA, BATF, FBI, or any other federal agency that is
operating outside the confines of constitutional law.
Employees of the IRS and the EPA are no longer welcome in
Bighorn County unless they intend to operate in conformance
to constitutional law." [Amen].
However, the sad reality is that sheriffs are elected, and
that means they are required to be both law enforcement
officials and politicians as well. Unfortunately, Wyoming
sheriffs are the exception rather than the rule . . . but
they shouldn’t be. Sheriffs have enormous power, if or when
they choose to use it. I share the hope of Sheriff Mattis
that "more sheriffs all across America will join us in
protecting their citizens."
If Wyoming Sheriffs can follow in the steps of former
Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack and recognize both their power
and authority, they could become champions for the memory of
Thomas Jefferson who died thinking that he had won those
"states’ rights" debates with Alexander Hamilton.
This case is not just some amusing mountain melodrama. This
is a BIG deal. This case is yet further evidence that the
10th Amendment is not yet totally dead, or in a complete
decay in the United States. It is also significant in that
it can, may, and hopefully will be interpreted to mean that
"political subdivisions of a State are included within the
meaning of the amendment, or that the powers exercised by a
sheriff are an extension of those common law powers which
the 10th Amendment explicitly reserves to the People, if
they are not granted to the federal government or
specifically prohibited to the States."
Winston Churchill observed, "If you will not fight for right
when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not
fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may
come to the moment when you will have to fights with all the
odds against you with only a precarious chance of survival.
There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there
is not hope of victory at all, because it is better to
perish than to live as slaves."
Dave
Robinson, Brunswick, Maine
Source: Keene Free Press
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Wyoming Sheriffs Put Feds in Their Place
by disinter
disinter March 31, 2008
Here’s one the mainstream media isn’t
going to tell you: County sheriffs in Wyoming are demanding
that federal agents actually abide by the Constitution, or
face arrest. Even better, a U.S. District Court agreed
according to the
Keene Free Press:
The court decision was the result of a suit against both the
BATF and the IRS by Mattis and other members of the Wyoming
Sheriff’s Association. The suit in the Wyoming federal court
district sought restoration of the protections enshrined in
the United States Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution.
Guess what? The District Court ruled in favor of the
sheriffs. In fact, they stated, Wyoming is a sovereign state
and the duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law
enforcement official within a county and has law enforcement
powers exceeding that of any other state or federal
official.” Go back and re-read this quote.
The court confirms and asserts that “the duly elected
sheriff of a county is the highest law enforcement official
within a county and has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING
that of any other state OR federal official.” And you
thought the 10th Amendment was dead and buried — not in
Wyoming, not yet.
Bighorn County Sheriff Dave Mattis comments:
“If a sheriff doesn’t want the Feds in his county he has
the constitutional right and power to keep them out, or ask
them to leave, or retain them in custody.”
“I am reacting in response to the actions of federal
employees who have attempted to deprive citizens of my
county of their privacy, their liberty, and their property
without regard to constitutional safeguards. I hope that
more sheriffs all across America will join us in protecting
their citizens from the illegal activities of the IRS, EPA,
BATF, FBI, or any other federal agency that is operating
outside the confines of constitutional law. Employees of the
IRS and the EPA are no longer welcome in Bighorn County
unless they intend to operate in conformance to
constitutional law.”
The implications are huge:
But it gets even better. Since the judge stated that the
sheriff “has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING that of any
other state OR federal official,” the Wyoming sheriffs are
flexing their muscles. They are demanding access to all BATF
files. Why? So as to verify that the agency is not violating
provisions of Wyoming law that prohibits the registration of
firearms or the keeping of a registry of firearm owners.
This would be wrong.
The sheriffs are also demanding that federal agencies
immediately cease the seizure of private property and the
impoundment of private bank accounts without regard to due
process in Wyoming state courts.
This case is not just some amusing mountain melodrama. This
is a BIG deal. This case is yet further evidence that the
10th Amendment is not yet totally dead, or in a complete
decay in the United States. It is also significant in that
it can, may, and hopefully will be interpreted to mean that
“political subdivisions of a State are included within the
meaning of the amendment, or that the powers exercised by a
sheriff are an extension of those common law powers which
the 10th Amendment explicitly reserves to the People, if
they are not granted to the federal government or
specifically prohibited to the States.”
It appears to me that one office where the Libertarian Party
should focus it’s limited resources is County Sheriff. The
change that could be made is nothing to laugh at. Meanwhile,
there are still a bunch of nuts wasting valuable resources
supporting those that seek offices that will never be won.
Budget
Cuts…More to Come!
The DLEA has been busy these past few
months trying to accomplish a few short term and long term
goals. As we began early this year reorganizing and getting
back on track, we realized we were already trailing behind
the issue of furlough days. We immediately began working
with the Sheriff’s administration and law makers and soon
realized our battle was with the Board of Supervisors and
Maricopa County management. This has been an ongoing
battle, knowing Maricopa County has surplus funds and has
still felt it necessary to cut public safety in lieu of
cutting unnecessary projects (court tower). Well, county
government is a branch of state government and when the
state is broke…
I tell you this because state revenue
is not meeting expectations. More cuts are coming. I need
to bring to your attention the serious concerns we have in
reference to our state budget crisis. We are already
finding ways to work through the 56 hours of furlough time
we are required to take because of budget cuts. It’s going
to get worse! The state legislature is about to go into
special session…again. Brian Livingston, Exec. Director of
the Arizona Police Association is lobbying hard on our
behalf, but more cuts will be coming. We have been told to…
“…expect
revenue streams to state agencies as well as those revenues
streams dedicated to cities, towns and counties
to be significantly and negatively affected by the end of
the special session.”
“State tax collections
continued their downward slide in October, with revenues for
the month coming in more than $140 million below forecast
and the state slipping deeper into a sea of red ink. In the
first four months of the fiscal year, the state's revenue is
short $376 million compared to earlier projections. October
was the 15th consecutive month revenues declined by double
digits over the previous year.”
“…the latest budget projections
for the 2011 state budget sits at
-$3B to -$3.5B.
If these budget projections hold true, law enforcement
and correctional funding will undoubtedly be considered in
play of drastic fund stream reductions.”
This afternoon one of the general revenue bills submitted
for this special legislative session was amended at the
request of the Maricopa County government lobbyist
to include the following language:
“Notwithstanding any other law, a county may
meet any statutory funding requirements of
this section from any source of county revenue
designated by the county, including funds of any
countywide special taxing district in which the board
of supervisors serves as the board of directors.”
As stated in this revision ANY source may be
used to balance a county’s budget deficit. This means
law enforcement funding including special designated funding
may be cut and reverted to a county’s general fund to
balance a county’s budget. If such a provision
passes there is strong likelihood that county law
enforcement officers and support personnel may be laid off
for the sake of balancing a county’s general fund budget.
This is not just a Maricopa County bill
because it is written in a way that will affect every
county sheriff’s office in this state!
This is the first salvo at cutting law enforcement
funding which I believe should be met with solid
resistance. This provision has been discussed with Sen.
Russell Pearce and he has agreed to amend the last line of
the provision to read,
“…board of supervisors serves as the board of directors,
except a county may not use funds designated for victims
of crime, police, sheriffs and prosecutors.”
Sen. Pearce has asked for our
support of his amendment.
This morning the APA took a contrary position to the General
Revenue Bill (SB 1003) as it relates to a County Board of
Supervisors access to state designated funds allocated to
county governments. After adopting this position, the APA
supported an amendment offered by Sen. R. Pearce that
changed the current wording of the bill to protect several
law enforcement entities financial interests.
Prior to a final vote on the amendment, Sen. Pearce received
word from county supervisors that they wished to negotiate
with him and the APA on the funding issue. Their action
caused Mr. Pearce to pull his amendment (for the time being)
to allow this discussion to take place. Mike Williams is
negotiating the APA position.
FYI - The APA was singled out as the only law
enforcement group to respond to Sen. Pearce’s
request for input on the bill’s provision and his
amendment. Our mere presence at the meeting was
acknowledged as extremely important towards finding a
resolution to this funding issue.
As an
organizational member of the APA, we need to work together
to make our voices heard at the state legislature as they
prepare to go back into special session. Public safety
cannot afford to lay off employees. During economic times
like these crime rates are on the rise, requiring an
increased response from law enforcement.
These cuts
will have an affect on all of us. We are fortunate to have
many law makers who understand our state’s priorities and
strive hard to protect public safety funds.
Let’s all
work together, our jobs may depend on it.
DLEA,
Board of Directors
Updates from
the
Arizona Police Association
Budget
“During the
next legislative special session, revenue and state budget
issues will be discussed. It has been said, SEVERE cuts
are coming to all state agencies and local funding
sources. The APA (Arizona Police Assoc.) position on all of
the legislative proposals will be determined at this special
meeting.”
Public
Safety Personnel Retirement System
“A
discussion was held on the state of PSPRS. The information
offered to the board was disturbing. A meeting will be held
December 16th at 9
a.m. at PSPRS (3010
E. Camelback Road, Suite 200, Phoenix, Arizona 85016) to discuss the fund balance issue. I do suggest you
or your representative attend this meeting. Representatives
from local governments are expected to attend this meeting
as well. The meeting is an open meeting called by officials
at PSPRS.” Exec. Dir. ,Brian Livingston
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