Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio has ordered all his deputies to carry their weapons at all times, on- and off-duty, 24 hours per day, in response to “increasing violence on our streets.” This order came down on the same day one of his officers was shot and killed as he was preparing to go to work.
Detention officer Jorge Vargas, age 27, was killed in the driveway of his Phoenix home while he was working on his truck. According to the Sheriff’s Office he was killed in an apparent ambush. His killer is still at large.
Officer Vargas was an 8-year veteran of the MCSO. According to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Officer Vargas worked for the Sheriff’s Office Custody Support Bureau in the jail’s food factory, and he often came into contact with inmates.
He is survived by a wife and a 5 year old son.
“Should any off-duty deputy come across a crime being committed, it is the policy of this office for that deputy to take the appropriate action to resolve the situation,” said Arpaio. “While this decision may seem controversial to some in the public and among other law enforcement agencies, I have extreme confidence in the training and professionalism of the men and women deputies in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.”
This week, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office took possession of 400 AR-15 assault rifles. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the delivery of these weapons for the Sheriff’s Office was fulfilled only a few short months after Arpaio decided to purchase the weapons to enhance firepower for Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
“The monies which allowed us to make this significant weapon buy come wholly from our RICO fund,” said Arpaio. “That is money seized in drug raids and human smuggling operations; as a result, taxpayers are not footing the bill.”
Arpaio continued: “Last year, two of our deputies died under violent circumstances, and this year a deputy was shot several times but survived. Therefore, I want all my deputies to be armed with the greatest firepower available 24 hours a day.”
Arpaio says that every deputy armed with the new weapons has undergone extensive training, qualifying them to carry these weapons as part of their day to day arsenal.