With an agenda comprised of more five dozen action items, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors formal meeting will be hosted 9:30 a.m. today in the Supervisors’ Auditorium, 205 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix.
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Law enforcement training and investigative tools; facilities for the coming Presidential Preference Election; and coordinating nearly $3 million in grant funding – these are just a few of the important measures leaders will consider at today’s Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting in Pheonix.
With an agenda comprised of more five dozen action items, the panel’s formal meeting will be hosted 9:30 a.m. today in the Supervisors’ Auditorium, 205 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix.
Board chairman Clint Hickman — who represents District 4 and will preside over the board’s first March meeting — touted the importance of public participation in county board meetings.
“Maricopa County has a role in everything from public safety to elections to transportation. In fact, we have more than 50 lines of business serving more than 4 million residents,” Mr. Hickman told the Daily Independent in February. “That’s why we encourage people to attend our meetings or watch them online so they can hear the votes and discussions that could impact their communities.”
Videos are typically archived at the site up to five days following each meeting.
Police cadet prep
If approved by the board, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office will enter into an agreement with the Franklin Police and Fire High School, a magnet school in the Phoenix Union High School District, which focuses on preparing students for careers as first responders.
“Franklin provides a rigorous and disciplined physical and academic college prep high school education. Students attending Franklin come to prepare for careers in law enforcement, firefighting or EMS,” school officials explain at their website: phoenixunion.org/franklin.
The memorandum of understanding between the county cops and the school will establish a linkage between the existing high school program and the MCSO Cadet Program, giving participants new opportunities for hands-on training, according to the agreement narrative.
“The cadets receive specialized law enforcement training, attend weekly meetings and volunteer to perform important community services. Along the way, they learn to work as a team, they gain leadership skills, and they serve the community. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Cadet Program instills ethical development for those who may be interested in an eventual career in law enforcement,” the agreement claims.
Per the MOU, the county will provide training and equipment for in-class and field instruction by law enforcement professionals, as well as mentorship opportunities. The school will provide facilities for the training.
Opened in 2007, the school has more than 300 students and boasts a 100% attendance rate. The school ranks among the best in the state and was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a “Gold Medal” school, according the Franklin website.
Violent crime investigations
In another action, county leaders will consider a partnership agreement to allow MCSO officials access to a national database of ballistic evidence to aid in the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes involving guns.
If approved, the Phoenix Police Department, MCSO and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms would enter into a non-financial memorandum of understanding to establish use of the network, as well as existing equipment, space and ballistic facilities by county officials.
Investigators at MCSO will access the network through facilities already in place at the Phoenix Police Department, according to the agreement.
“The parties recognize that their objectives are best met through integrated and coordinated actions that leverage their respective expertise and infrastructure through robust information sharing,” the agreement states.
Since it was established by ATF in 1999, the network partners have collected and submitted 3.3 million pieces of ballistic evidence resulting in 99,000 investigative leads, according to the agency’s website: atf.gov.
This has enabled law enforcement agencies to cross reference cases based on evidence found at crime scenes and through test firing of guns suspected of having been used in crimes, they said.
“It is a resource that is vital to any violent crime reduction strategy because it provides investigators with the ability to compare their ballistics evidence against evidence from other violent crimes on a local, regional and national level, thus generating investigative links that would rarely be revealed absent the technology,” agency officials stated.
Upcoming election
The supervisors will consider a measure to add more ballot drop-off locations in the county for the March 17 Presidential Preference Election.
Once approved, county officials will publish a list of drop-boxes at emergency voting centers and other locations.
Secured drop boxes will be located at sites in Phoenix, Mesa, Surprise, Queen Creek and Tolleson for use on March 14 and 16. Those locations will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Additional sites will be located at facilities in Mesa, Surprise, Queen Creek and Tolleson with staffing 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, March 16; sites in Goodyear and Phoenix will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through Thursday, March 13 and March 16-17; while another staffed site will be open 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, March 15.
An unstaffed site in Phoenix also provides 24-hour access to a drop box daily until closing at 7 p.m. on election day.
Grant funding
County leaders will look at another measure, which will facilitate submittal of grant applications to the Gila River Indian Community to apply Tribal Gaming Grant funds to various public programs and projects in the county, according to the meeting agenda.
Totaling nearly $3 million, the funds will be divvied into 31 individual grants ranging from $10,000 to $300,000.
“These funds are for government services that benefit the general public, including public safety, mitigation of the impacts of gaming, or promotion of commerce and economic development. The total amount of funds requested will not exceed $2,965,098.10,” the application states.
Some examples of grant recipients include Big Brothers and Sisters of Central Arizona, Arizona State University, Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts, New Life Center, National Kidney Foundation of Arizona, Maricopa County Public Health, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Honor Health Foundation, among others.
Matt Roy Opinions Editor | Daily Independent @AzNewsmedia
Matt Roy is an ASU West graduate, who studied English literature and journalism before embarking on a career as a news reporter, editor, photojournalist, advocate and marketing communications professional, including more than six years with Independent Newsmedia. As a 30-year Valley resident, he remains passionate about journalism in service to local communities. Matt is the recipient of various awards, including First Place for Investigative Journalism from the Arizona Newspaper Association in 2019.
By 
