Sheriff Paul Penzone spoke with the PebbleCreek Democratic Club during their July meeting.
Alisa Moore
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone was the speaker for the PebbleCreek (PC) Democratic Club’s inaugural Zoom meeting. The Sheriff is running for re-election and given the protests and moves to change law enforcement budgets, responsibilities, and oversight, the club could not have hosted a timelier or more interesting speaker.
Sheriff Penzone defeated Joe Arpaio in 2016, with a mandate to clean up the sheriff’s office. Two related federal court orders had been in place since 2013 that ruled that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) had systematically violated the rights of Latinos for years by racially profiling Hispanic drivers. As a result, Sheriff Penzone had two immediate obligations related to those orders: to implement and document compliance with those orders, and to reduce the lawsuits that were commonplace to stop the unacceptable waste of taxpayer dollars. The settlement of lawsuits from the Arpaio years, their related expenses, and the necessary changes in the department, including hiring staff, will have cost the taxpayers of Maricopa County over $178 million dollars by mid-2021.
Under Sheriff Penzone’s leadership, the MCSO is committed to a mission of ethical, effective, and impactful law enforcement and public safety. They are also focused on programs and initiatives to help promote partnerships and trust between their office and our communities. For instance, MCSO now regularly conducts upwards of 50 community outreach events each month across the county.
The MCSO is the primary or supporting law enforcement agency for a population of more than four million residents operating in the fourth largest county in America. MCSO’s jails process and house all felony and most misdemeanor inmates for Maricopa County, in excess of 100,000 intakes annually.
Sheriff Penzone oversees an annual budget of nearly $400 million dollars. Through effective management, in his first year, Sheriff Penzone created a $20 million budget surplus, returning $9 million to Maricopa County and reinvesting the rest into MCSO.
Sheriff Penzone and his team have created a number of programs to reduce drug abuse and recidivism, including the MOSAIC Program, a seven-week program working to break the incarceration cycle with medium to high risk inmates. The program currently shows a 20% reduction in recidivism among participants who have already completed the program, helping lower the crime rate, saving money in detention housing, and transforming inmates into productive citizens who go on to build stronger communities.
Paul has a combined 30 years of law enforcement and public safety experience, including a distinguished 21-year career with the Phoenix Police Department, with seven years dedicated to solving cold cases and apprehending dangerous fugitives.
The PC Dem Club’s next meeting is Aug. 6 by Zoom. The Men’s Breakfast also meets by Zoom. Look for details in upcoming emails.
Additional information
Sheriff Paul Penzone’s campaign for re-election: penzoneforsheriff.com.
The costs of the former Sheriff’s legacy: https://bit.ly/32luAfo.