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As 2019 began the Sheriff’s Posse of Sun City West was getting ready to celebrate its 40th birthday in March.
The volunteers in the group had been patrolling community streets, checking on vacant houses and open garage doors and assisting Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputies with traffic control and protecting crime scenes for as long as Sun City West existed. The Posse was a key part of the community.
Myron Finegold was elected as the new commander of the Posse and began his new position Jan. 1, 2019. Posse commanders changed every year or two and the transition seemed smooth—for the first three weeks.
With no warning on Jan. 14 Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone Jan. 24 ordered an immediate stop to all MCSO Posse organization activities throughout the county.
From that day until March 8 there were no Posse patrols in Sun City West, checking vacant homes while residents were away, open garage doors or businesses and churches when they were closed.
There was an uproar in the community.
“"The Posse is a presence in Sun City West and seem to be everywhere,” said Jim Sloan, Recreation Centers of Sun City West governing board president.
But then they weren’t anywhere.
Larry Woods, who was then president of the Property Owners and Residents Association of Sun City West conducted a rally at Posse headquarters and began collecting 4,100 signatures asking the sheriff to reinstate the Posse. Mr. Wood presented those petitions to Mr. Penzone Feb. 7 when the sheriff agreed to meet with about 900 angry residents.
”The sheriff essentially removed the presence of law enforcement from Sun City West by taking the Posse off the streets,” Mr. Woods said. “Immediate action needed to be taken on this so we organized the rally.”
The sheriff was vague about when the Posse might return and a few days later a separate organization, the Sun City West Posse, was formed. That group had different uniforms and vehicle markings and was not under any authority of the MCSO.
Second Posse
The Posse organizations in nearby Sun City and Westbrook Village had decided to end their formal relationships with MCSO and formed entirely new groups. When Mr. Penzone shut down the MCSO posses there was no impact in those communities like there was in Sun City West. Those were the role models for the new Sun City West group.
Now there are two working posse organizations in Sun City West and the number of volunteers is growing as the organization enters into 2020.
“No one outside the community can now stop our citizen patrols,” Mr. Finegold said at the time.
Five new members were sworn-in to the Sun City West Posse at their Dec. 17 monthly meeting. Mr. Finegold said at that meeting there were now 43 members in the Sheriff’s Posse of Sun City West and 46 members in the Sun City West Posse.
There is a second, previously unexpected benefit to having two posse organizations.
MCSO rules now require that sergeants cannot have a span of control of more than eight people. Some days MCSO District 3 is short staffed and a sergeant will have several deputies, so they cannot supervise MCSO Posse members. On those days the volunteers change from their tan MCSO uniforms to the blue Sun City West ones.
Earlier, when the span of control was a problem, the Sheriff’s Posse couldn’t patrol.
“We now have full patrols on the streets,” Mr. Finegold said. “About 75 percent of our patrols are now Sun City West and about 25% MCSO posse members.”
Posse future
Posse members were so pleased with Mr. Finegold’s leadership through the changes in the past year that he was unanimously re-elected commander for 2020.
Mr. Finegold said the organization has had false starts and many hurdles to overcome during 2019, buty is very happy with the way things are operating now.
He is also positive about the future, and the relationship with MCSO.
Sheriff Penzone said he would look into why it was so difficult and taking so long to get background checks completed for applicants to the Sheriff’s Posse, hoping to expedite that process.
Also, MCSO personnel will be training Sun City West Posse members in proper traffic control procedures so more of them can be utilized to direct traffic at crashes and emergency situations.
Mr. Finegold said he is looking forward to working with the MCSO, Posse volunteers and the community in what he believes will be a productive 2020.
Mr. Sloan also said he is looking forward to the future Posse activities.
“I know they are watching what I cannot watch,” he said. “They are an asset to the community and I am proud of the rebound the Posse has made this year."
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