Approve Agreement M21-0080 between the State of Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Cochise County, and the Cochise County Sheriff's Office, in the amount of $1,100,000, for Arizona Border Region Enforcement Equipment, effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.

In March 2021, Sheriff Dannels received a request from Arizona legislators to provide them a list of unmet needs to address border security concerns.  Sheriff staff built a list for additional deputies, additional Arizona National Guard personnel, overtime, vehicles, jail costs for inmates committing border related crimes, optics, and border camera equipment.  During 2021, the Cochise County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) saw a surge of unlawful border crossers along the International Border between Arizona and Mexico.  This surge was confirmed by the increasing numbers of unlawful border crossers images being generated by our border camera system and border calls for service.  Due to this surge, Arizona legislators introduced two bills to help Arizona border counties stem the flow of unlawful border crossers into the United States.  On June 30, 2021, Governor Ducey signed House Bill 2893 and Senate Bill 1823. 

House Bill 2893 amended Arizona Revised Statute 26-105 establishing the Border Security Fund to be administered by the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.  The Border Security Funds may be used for:

• Preventing Human Trafficking.
• Preventing Entry into the United States of:
  • Aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States,
  • Terrorists and Instruments of Terrorism,
  • Contraband, including narcotics and other controlled substances.

Senate Bill 1823 Established the following Supplemental Appropriations which allocated to Cochise County and CCSO the following disbursement:

•  $1,100,000 to distribute to the Sheriffs of Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties to procure cameras and related equipment, software and services for the southern Arizona border region enforcement.

The Sheriffs of Pima, Yuma and Santa Cruz County released their portions of the camera funding to CCSO for the entire amount of $1,100,000.  CCSO has been the innovators and educators for deploying portable cameras on the border with national recognition.  

Due to Senate Bill 1823 and Arizona Revised Statute 26-105, Arizona Department of Emergency Management (AZDEM) under the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Management was tasked to be the program managers for this funding.  On September 1, 2021, AZDEM had established the application and programmatic requirements guidelines.  On September 22, 2021, AZDEM began a series of online virtual meetings reference Fiscal Year 2021 Border Security Fund Application Requirements and Guidelines.  Over the next 3 months, CCSO staff worked with AZDEM that resulted in the following agreement:

M21-0080 Agreement Title: Cochise County, AZ Border Region Enforcement Equipment\
Effectives dates July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2023
Funding Value $1,100.000

Purpose:

• Procure cameras and related equipment, software, and services for Southern Arizona border region enforcement.

 Tasks:

• Purchase of supplies and equipment, in accordance with budget approved by the State. Copies of all contracts are to be provided to the State upon request.
• Procure cameras and related equipment, software, and services for southern Arizona border region enforcement.
• Collaborate and enter into an agreement with Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Everything in this equipment agreement deals with supplies costing less than $5,000 per unit for a border camera equipment.  CCSO Southern Arizona Border Region Enforcement (SABRE) team runs an extensive “real time” game camera network across the southern border. The cameras are employed to detect illegal activities being conducted in the rural parts of the state, with real time intelligence being key. The camera activations allow law enforcement actual photographic evidence of what is occurring, and the real time intelligence allows for quick response to address the illegal activities. It is estimated SABRE receives approximately 14,000 workable photographs distributed by COGNIAC per month. The current system views approximately 3,500 suspected undocumented immigrants and/or contraband smugglers per month.
 
With the additional funding for the purchase of equipment, SABRE will be able to roughly double the size of their current camera system. This will allow the system to expand into additional smuggling routes across the southern Arizona border. This added equipment will afford law enforcement the opportunity to interdict and disrupt additional illegal activities in even more rural areas of the state that are currently being taken advantage of by transnational criminal organizations. 
 
It is important to note the SABRE border camera system is portable.  Cameras deployed by SABRE are designed to be placed along smuggling corridors camouflaged into the natural vegetation of that terrain.  When the cameras are activated by motion, they send quality images through a cellular network such as Verizon to COGNIAC imaging software.  The imaging software takes over sorting out human images versus animals or swaying vegetation from weather elements.  Camouflaged solar rocks/panels recharge the camera batteries reducing maintenance time on the cameras for up to one year.  If one camera gets compromised, SABRE members hike into the remote site to relocate the camera into a new environment along the smuggling trail.  The cameras operate well in harsh environments from the scorching desert floors and snow packed mountain ridges.  The key is the portability of the cameras that operate over any cellular network for transmitting real time images of illegal activity on the border.  Smuggling organizations never know where a camera will turn up hindering their operations.  
         
It is an extensive list of equipment to add and maintain cameras on the Arizona border camera system.  The basic components of the border camera system are (1) the Buckeye camera, (2) remote motion sensor repeaters that attach to the camera for extending transmission range of the camera images and motion detection, (3) cell bases to receive images from cameras via cellular network allowing one cell base to run up to 254 cameras from one data plan, (4) rack mounted net bases to process and store the images plus (5) all the peripheral equipment such as cables, antennas, solar panels/rocks and batteries. 
 
Currently, CCSO has verbal agreements from the Sheriffs of Pima, Yuma, and Santa Cruz Counties to use all the 1.1 million dollars to further develop the Arizona border camera system.  The chief civil attorney for Cochise County has prepared an intergovernmental agreement between these sheriffs.  It is estimated that 500 new cameras will be added to the system.  Once the camera equipment arrives, the SABRE team is ready to begin deploying them on the southern Arizona border. CCSO has a sufficient funding for maintenance of the existing and future expansion of the camera system.  

Chief Civil Deputy Christine Roberts has reviewed this agreement and has approved as to form.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office will need to coordinate with Cochise County Finance and Procurement staff to determine the best way to meet the terms and conditions of this agreement.   

This agreement pays for additional camera equipment to be deployed on the southern border of Arizona.  If this agreement is not approved by the Board of Supervisors, this border camera build out will not occur.  CCSO does not have any other funding alternatives to accomplish this project.      

If approved, please send the signed agreement to Chief Tom Alinen for further distribution.