Approve recurring grant agreements between Cochise County and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security (AZDOHS) for Operation Stone Garden Subrecipient Agreement Number 230411-01, in the amount of $112,000 for overtime and mileage, and Subrecipient Agreement Number 230411-02, in the amount of $201,782 for OPSG Equipment, effective April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

The Sheriff's Office has participated in the Operation Stone Garden Grant Program for many years.  The overtime and mileage funding are utilized in coordination with our federal law enforcement partners, primarily the U.S. Border Patrol, to identify and deter the trafficking of humans and illegal drugs into the United States, specifically into Cochise County.  These activities adversely impact public safety of the citizens of our county.
 
This funding allows the Sheriff's Office to strategically deploy additional personnel resources to deter, locate, arrest and/or detain persons involved in the trafficking of humans and illegal narcotics.  The overtime and mileage funding also allow the Sheriff's Office to deploy additional personnel resources to remote areas of our county that are traditionally underserved, such as Portal.  Often, regular duty personnel are not as available to have a presence in these areas due to the volume of calls for service in more populated areas.  The funding under this program significantly enhances law enforcement visibility and presence in corridors exploited by transnational criminal organizations.  This would not be possible without this funding due to current staffing.  This presence not only deters transnational crime (human and drug trafficking) but also serves to deter other criminality and public disorder to the benefit of all our citizens.
 
The overtime funding under this grant award fully covers Employee Related Expenses (ERE’s).  Therefore, the county does not have an adverse fiscal impact due to the acceptance of this overtime funding resultant from a need to cover associated ERE’s.
 
This grant award reimburses the county $10,000 for the costs associated with county vehicles being used to support the public safety mission of the grant.  Due to the vast and remote areas involved, the use of vehicles is required.
 
The grant award includes $201,782.00 for the purchase of equipment. The equipment is necessary to support operations under the grant program.  Importantly, while required to be used for grant-related operations, this equipment is also available for the broader use by CCSO for the benefit of public safety in the county. Noteworthy is the fact that during the years of the participation in this grant program CCSO has received well over $1 million in funding to purchase public safety equipment that might have otherwise been a burden to county taxpayers.
 
CCSO personnel deployed with Operation Stonegarden funds remain under the direction and control of the Sheriff.  When deployed under this program our personnel may be redirected at anytime to address emergencies occurring in the county unrelated to the Stonegarden mission.  We simply must place them off the Stonegarden clock and on the county clock.  Therefore, the deployment of additional personnel with federal grant funds makes available at a moment notice more personnel to address critical public safety incidents.
 
As previously mentioned, the Sheriff’s Office has received more than $1 million in public safety equipment with federal funding through participation in Operation Stonegarden.  This equipment award is predicated on the continued participation by the recipient agency in Stonegarden.  Should the Board elect to not accept this grant award and thereby discontinue participation the federal government could request return of, or reimbursement for, equipment purchased under this grant program.  This could adversely impact both public safety and the taxpayers of Cochise County
 
There is a clear and compelling public safety reason for the Sheriff’s Department’s continued participation in Operation Stonegarden.  United States Citizens are being hired to transport illegal immigrants from our communities to the Tucson/Phoenix, AZ areas. They are being directed to drive erratically through our communities to avoid being stopped and arrested by law enforcement. Monies from this grant are being utilized to pay for the additional deputies overtime to assist Border Patrol with this dangerous issue. Deputies are working Operation Stone Garden and Operation Safe Streets to deter and assist in capturing those who choose to not follow the laws of the State of Arizona, drive erratically, endangering the lives of the citizens of Cochise County.
 
 

If approved, the Sheriff's Office will continue to participate with our federal law enforcement partners in Operation Stone Garden under the conditions and philosophical underpinnings outlined in the Background Statement.  We will move forward with the purchase of the equipment awarded under the grant.  We will ensure that our activities under Operation Stonegarden are appropriately tracked so that they may be reported upon to the Board upon request.  Finally, CCSO leadership will be more assertive in oversight of our participation in the program as outlined and discussed in this document.

If not approved, the Sheriff's Office will not be a participant in this program. This will adversely impact public safety in Cochise County.  We will be unable to deploy additional resources in the county to address transnational crime threats coming from the international border and will have less visible law enforcement presence in the community, especially those remote and traditionally underserved areas.  We may be required to return equipment purchased under the grant (more than $1 million) or reimburse the federal government for its current fair market value.  We will no longer be able to benefit from the purchase of needed public safety equipment with federal grant funds and could them require purchase with taxpayer funding.

Please return two copies with original signatures to the Sheriff's Office, Lt. Ken Foster (520-353-5320).