GOP sheriff hopefuls talk Arpaio, DOJ, targeting at debate
Independent Newsmedia/Jason W. Brooks
Republican Maricopa County Sheriff candidate Frank “Mike” Crawford takes questions from reporters after the AZ Clean Elections June 26 debate at Bitfire Studios in Phoenix.
PHOENIX — The longtime employee of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office running for the Republican nomination for county sheriff detailed some of their plans if elected during a June 26 debate.
Jerry Sheridan, the 40-year MCSO veteran, and longtime Phoenix Police and other-agency leader Frank Milstead detailed plans they’d have if elected — in between complaints about the Department of Justice’s ongoing monitoring of the sheriff’s office.
The debate, hosted by Arizona’s Clean Elections Commission ahead of the July 30 primaries, is where Sheridan and Milstead defended progress made by MCSO in the 12-plus years it’s been monitored by the DOJ as part of a series of court orders. Frank “Mike” Crawford, the somewhat outsider in terms of being a veteran of the DEA and other agencies, said the monitoring is indicative of a need for a fresh start at the top.
“Running backward is not going to get it done,” Crawford told media after the debate. “We need to keep more programs in the community, especially in mentoring youth and the Sheriff’s Posse could really help with that.”
Crawford also eschewed numbers-based policing.
“Statistics are pointless,” Crawford said. “We need to ask, ‘Is this law enforcement agency being effective for this community, or that community.”
Sheridan, the former MCSO chief deputy seen in many court-apprearance photos alongside embattled longtime Sheriff Joe Arpaio, defended some of Arpaio’s practices, including the “Tent City” approach, saying that was a way to keep narcotics out of the county’s jail system.
“Joe really did care about the people who worked for the Sheriff’s Office,” Sheridan said. “Tent City is something I’m contemplating bringing back — probably won’t be able to put tents out there. That really helped manage the inmate population. We didn’t have the kind of drug problem we have now, which is an epidemic.”
Sheridan said during the debate he believes DOJ monitoring — a practice possibly about to begin with Phoenix Police Department in the years ahead —is something that “goes on in perpetuity,” pointing out the Oakland Police Department hasn’t reached compliance in about 25 years of monitoring.
Sheridan said he’s “never met a deputy who did anything because of the color of somebody’s skin.”
Milstead said during the debate the court-appointed monitors are a “negative influence.”
All three candidates described Arpaio as a “friend” and as a mostly effective sheriff in the post-debate discussions, despite Arpaio’s department decisions leading to court orders that have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
Crawford said he was offered an endorsement by the 92-year-old Arpaio, who’s running for mayor of Fountain Hills this summer. Milstead accepted Arpaio’s endorsement.
“Joe was tough on crime,” Milstead said. “Joe has been good to me as a friend and as a police leader. I think having his endorsement shows I am also hard on crime.”
Crawford said he appreciated recently resigned Sheriff Paul Penzone’s communication skills, but said standardized pay scales, smarter jail programming and more selective recruiting are needed reforms.
“You put garbage in, you get garbage out,” Crawford said after the debate, regarding recruiting.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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