Is Public Safety An Election Issue?

Is Oro Valley public safety an election issue?

It is. According to Candidate Danny Sharp, Oro Valley is not as safe as it once was.

It is not.  According to Candidate and current Mayor Joe Winfield, Oro Valley is the safest community in Arizona.

 

The differences in their thinking were “front and center” at the Greater Oro Valley Chamber Candidate Forum of June 28.

Mayoral Candidate Danny Sharp believes that public safety isn’t as good as it was and isn’t good enough

Danny Sharp made it clear at the forum on two occasions that Public Safety in Oro Valley is not good enough. In his opening remarks, Sharp noted: “When I am elected Mayor I will work to restore public trust by getting the Police Department the staffing needed to address the safety issues in our community and the threats looming from outside.”

Later in the forum, when asked how Oro Valley will be different in four years of his leadership, Sharp said that Oro Valley will be safer: “We talk about Oro Valley being the safest community in the state. Those are based on figures from 2020. I’m concerned about the fact that we don’t have enough police officers to do the job. I’m concerned about the vision that this Mayor and Council has given the police department so we can be understaffed to the point where we have to pull high school resource officers out of our high school. I drive up and down Oracle Road, Tangerine, LaCholla and I don’t see any police cars. I don’t see traffic stops. I see speeders. I see red light runners. I see tailgating in my rear view mirror.

The town is not as safe as it was.. People cant’t go to Riverfront Park and go for a walk without their Catalytic Converter being stolen. Or breaking out their window and stealing their purse. That’s not a safe community”. 

Sharp said that public safety will be a top priority if elected.

Candidate Joe Winfield disagrees: Oro Valley is safe because Chief Riley and her team are getting the job done.

Joe Winfield asserted at the forum that Oro Valley continues to be the safest community in Arizona. He points to FBI statistics and crime scores. He noted that Chief Kara Riley was twice voted best community leader. He noted that Oro Valley has more police per capita than Marana, Tucson and Sahuarita and pays its police officers more than any other town.

According to Winfield, to say that Oro Valley is not safe is a disservice to Chief Riley, the command staff, and the 103 men and women to put their lives on the line every day in service to the community.

Some added information

Three points of information for you to consider. First, the above panel shows the latest publicly reported crime statistics.

Second, in May, Chief Riley addressed the council. As we reported at that time, the objective of the Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) is to be the best police agency in Arizona. The department is adding four positions in fiscal 2023. Two of these positions are officer positions. One of the four positions will free an officer for field work. That is a net increase of three field officers. Chief Riley stated at that time that the added positions she requested in this year’s budget was everything the department needs to meet its objective.

Third, in June, the OVPD was again acknowledged for excellence. “Special recognition and congratulations goes to Chief Riley and her entire PD Team for successfully completing the Arizona Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ALEAP). The department was found in compliance with the 170 established standards and will be recommended for accreditation at the next ALEAP Commission meeting, with final approval expected. Oro Valley joins 20 other agencies across the state with this accreditation.” (Source: Town Manager’s Executive Report To Council, July 2022)

You be the judge 

Whether you agree with Danny Sharp’s observations or Joe Winfield’s facts, it is clear that the approaches to public safety of the two will be very different. 

Joe Winfield has been “hands off” when it comes to the OVPD. The OVPD has operated without his direct involvement. He has expressed his confidence in Chief Riley and the police force on numerous occasion. He will not “second guess” her judgment. We expect this behavior to continue. 

A Mayor Sharp will have a more “hands on” role when it comes to the OVPD. How involving that role becomes is yet to be determined.

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Guest View-Diane Peters: Danny Sharp’s Claim Is Quite A Stretch

Mayoral Candidate Danny Sharp’s comment in the Explorer
In the June 22nd edition of the Explorer, Oro Valley mayoral candidate Danny Sharp continued his battle cry that the OVPD is understaffed, and then says, “I mean this town was founded on the premise of strong public safety. They [the Winfield council] are not attending to that strong public safety piece that the Founding Fathers of Oro Valley thought was important."

This is the first time I’ve heard that Oro Valley was founded on the premise of strong public safety. Every article I’ve read on this topic over the years has stated that Oro Valley was founded because residents didn’t want to be annexed into Tucson. They wanted to control their own destiny. They wanted to protect the desert landscape. The founders also promised that Oro Valley would never have a property tax. Now that the former chief of police is running for mayor, suddenly we’re told that Oro Valley was founded on the premise of strong public safety.

The Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) published an article on LOVE in April 2021 about Oro Valley Founding Father, Jim Kriegh. They listed all of the reasons that he wanted to incorporate Oro Valley. Strong public safety is not mentioned.

Here is what was mentioned in the OVHS article:

The Main Reason was to continue “Country Living”
When asked why he wanted to incorporate Oro Valley, Kriegh said the main reason was that he believed that Tucson was “going to spread to the North and Northwest, and there goes country living. Country living is why I am here.”

With that, Kriegh ensured that his core value of protecting the environment was encompassed in Oro Valley’s first General Plan which included the following objectives:

• Ensure that development is compatible with the area’s topography, natural landscape and resources

• Promote physical forms which are in harmony with the natural environment and reflect a design quality appropriate to the area

• Protect the natural beauty and qualities of the existing desert environment

• Encourage the preservation of the mountains, foothills, and hillsides

Police protection was barely a blip on Kriegh’s radar screen
In a video interview that Jim gave many years ago, he was asked why he wanted to form a separate town. In that interview he again spoke of land use issues and that the founders were not happy with the Planning and Zoning being approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors and that the Board was not responding to their desires and requests. This was why the founders wanted to “gain control of our area.” He briefly mentioned that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department was “spread too thin and just could not cover the area” and as such, he felt that our police protection could be better. But this comment was barely a blip on the radar screen and he never said that Oro Valley was founded on the premise of strong public safety.

The recurring theme in Jim Kriegh’s plan
As you can see, the recurring theme in Kriegh’s desire to incorporate was to preserve country living. Therefore, Sharp’s assertion that “this town was founded on the premise of strong public safety” is quite a stretch.

Our public safety is doing just fine under Mayor Winfield
In April of this year, the Town announced that, “OV was ranked the #1 safest place to live in Arizona for 2022 by Elite Personal Finance, using FBI statistics and crime scores.”

Additionally, as reported on LOVE on May 16th, during the May 2022 Budget Study Session, Chief Riley stated that she got everything she asked for in her $19.1M police budget request. (Town Manager’s Recommended Budget for FY 2022/23 which begins on July 1, 2022). You can read about it HERE. And on June 24th, the OVPD announced that they were hiring more lateral police officers.

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Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast. She’s been involved in OV politics and development issues since 2006, including organizing a citizens group in 2014 that spent 9 months negotiating a controversial 200-acre development project. In her past life, she worked in medical research at various University Hospitals in New England. Her interests include reading, writing, nature photography, travel, art galleries, museums, and politics.

Oro Valley Police Chief Riley Manages In A Crisis

Managing in a crisis 
Kara Riley has been Oro Valley's Police Chief for thirteen weeks. Most of that time, Riley has been dealing with the impact of Covid-19 and the resultant economic shutdown. According to Riley, "Its been very busy but very rewarding."

First step: Protect the Officer
Working on ensuring that the police force was healthy and could maintain its health was the first step. "We immediately began mitigating things and looking at their personal protective equipment ("PPE")." Initial focus was on dispatchers and first line patrol officers.

To an extent, the officers were already prepared.  In 2017, Lt. John Teachout invented a “Go Bag”. Every officer gets one the day they start. It has PPE gear such as an N95 mask, booties, a full outfit, and gloves. In addition, the spouse of one officer made masks for all.

Some procedures were changed to protect the officer. For example, rather than stepping into a home on a call, the officer will ask residents to step out to reduce exposure.

In addition, the town has altered its: "You call for a cop. You get a cop." approach. Medical calls go to Golder Ranch Fire District ("GRFD"). A police officer joins the call if there is potential violence involved.

The challenge is to protect the health of the officer and the caller. The result is that there have been no officer exposures to Covid-19 and no active cases.


Second Step: Reach out to the senior community
"We've reached out and phoned every member [of the voluntary police], 100 people, to make sure that they are doing OK. Daily we reach out to Sun City just to make sure that there is nothing we are missing with our senior community. They are our most vulnerable. I want to insure that they have everything that they need." This includes following up on the many calls the department received from worried family members requesting house checks.

Third Step: Stay ahead of the "bad guys"
Oro Valley's retail stores are opening. Riley anticipates an increase in crimes of opportunity, particularly shoplifting. "I believe we will see an uptick in crimes there."

Use a community approach to Covid-19 restriction enforcement
The Oro Valley Police have taken a soft approach to enforcement of restrictions. The officer provides a letter of rules and recommendations when there is a complaint. "And then, we leave it at that."  Enforcement in this area is a challenge because "...these are not laws we were brought up under."

Focus on seamless service
"We want residents to see no transition," regardless of how long the pandemic emergency lasts. When it comes to our town, "Service will be seamless."
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Chief Riley's Three Initial Priorities

This is the third of three postings about Oro Valley's new police chief, Kara Riley.  Two weeks ago, we published background information about Riley. Last week, we discussed her relationship with our community, her reaction to becoming Chief, and her primary focus. This week we complete our discussion of Riley's areas of focus.
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Community Outreach
Chief Riley has three priorities as she assumes her new role as Chief of Police. Last week, we discussed one of these: Community Outreach. Riley wants the residents of our community to be comfortable with our police officers. Under Riley's leadership, we should expect to see a continuation and expansion of outreach programs.

Police Officer Welfare
One of Riley's goals is to focus on police officer wellness. “A healthy police officer physically and mentally serves our community better.” During our discussion, she observed that firefighters and police officers have one of the highest suicide rates in the nation.

Our research revealed that the suicide rate of officers is higher than that of the general public: "13 out of every 100,000 people die by suicide in the general population – that number increases to 17 out of 100,000 for police officers. During the 2018 calendar year, 167 law enforcement officers tragically took their own lives." (source)

Officers experience critical incidents throughout their careers. One study noted that that is about 188. It is no wonder that mental wellness is an issue for officers. They are, after all, human.

"We are starting to address this ‘head on'," Riley told us.  “We expanded our peer support programs. We are also making a regional peer support program."

Effectiveness on combating cyber crime...
The rise of the cyber world has created an entire new type of crime. Oro Valley residents have been victimized. “We are seeing an uptick in technology crime…well over 50-60% of the cases going to our criminal investigations unit involve some sort of technology crime....I’ve been to cases in our senior community where they have lost their entire inheritance” through cyber crime. “It’s such a tragedy.”

FBI Reports Cyber Crime On The Rise

One of Chief Riley's goals is to improve the town's ability to deal with these crimes. “We have one detective who is very technology proficient.” The problem is that all detectives have to work through this one person on their cases to do such things as downloading phones and sleuthing through internet addresses. “Those all require search warrants, subpoenas and all the technology things to solve these technology crimes.”

Riley also notes that "...a lot of property crimes are turning into cyber crimes."  Here's how it works. Someone steals something and then sells it on the web. One app they use is called "letgo." There are other sites like Craigs list.

A word to the wise: Make sure that you check for ownership when purchasing items on the web. Otherwise, you could be in receipt of stolen goods.

...and efficient in all they do
Chief Riley plans to focus the budget on getting the resources for our officers to get the training in this area. At the same time, she plans to look at all aspects of police operations to insure the efficient use of town funds.

“Got to have those hard discussions...making those tough choices on what is absolutely essential” in light of the total needs of the town. In our words: Chief Riley plans to be a good steward of our town's resources.
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Get To Know Chief Riley: "I Love This Community"

Last week we published some background information about Oro Valley's new police chief, Kara Riley. This week we focus on her relationship with our community, her reaction to becoming Chief, and her primary focus. 
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Chief Riley Loves Oro Valley
Kara Riley has lived in Oro Valley for 18 years. She's grown to love our community, not just in her capacity as a member of our police force, but as a mom and every day resident. We asked her why she wanted the job of chief.

"It came down to two things: The love of this community because I’ve been ingrained in it for so long. I love every aspect of it-the schools, the churches, a great community where people waive at us. And the fact that I have had 16 years of working with the finest men and women, both civilian and sworn, in the law enforcement profession in the nation. It’s all about the people."

Humbled
Riley told us she was humbled when she learned that she had been selected as the third police chief in Oro Valley's history.  She feels humbled to represent our sworn officers.

"I wish you knew what I knew in reference to the men and women of this agency. If you knew them, you would be humbled too because they are the best."

"I hear them every day. I wear a uniform. I have my radio on. I have a marked unit. I check on every morning like they do. I do traffic stops. I do sometimes go to calls with them. I hear them. I hear their efforts. They work hard. They do that extra check when it comes to public service. We continue to provide a service that meets the community’s expectations and then some."

Community service and outreach is #1
Chief Riley believes that the police force exists to provide outstanding community service; Even if that means picking up a garbage can for someone who can't! To her that means the officers are going the extra mile. “There is never a complaint" on the part of the officer, she related.  “They love this community. They have a sense of ownership. Pride.”

Riley wants the residents of our community to be comfortable with our police officers. “It’s why we do all of our community outreach. We want people to be comfortable with us...I think it’s important for people to not have surprises.” She wants people to call the police even if it's something that they feel is small. As she put it: "..if they’re comfortable with us in the beginning already, then they are not going to hesitate to call us when something really bad is going on.”
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Next week we will discuss Riley's three core focus areas as she begins her new job.

Kara Riley Approved 7-0 As Oro Valley's Police Chief

The result was never in doubt
Oro Valley Town Council Chambers was packed last night, with civilians and cops on site to witness the 7-0 approval of Oro Valley Police Commander Kara Riley as Oro Valley's new chief of police. Riley will assume her new position later this month.

Winfield introduced motion
Mayor Winfield introduced the resolution to retain Riley. Each council member then spoke in praise of her, the police force, and retiring Police Chief Daniel Sharp.


Riley was the best of 70 candidates
Winfield noted that Riley was the best of 70 candidates. In fact, he observed, that three Oro Valley police members were among the final 10.

Council Member Bill Rodman thanked Chief Sharp for insuring that Oro Valley would have someone from within to assume leadership upon his retirement; a promise, Rodman told the audience, that  Sharp made when he was retained as chief 20 years ago.

After the vote, Riley took the moment to thank Chief Sharp and her fellow officers for their support. She also introduced her family in attendance.

Commander Riley with Dad and Mom

Oro Valley comes together
Last night Council Member Rodman noted all the cops in council chamber. He said that this had to be the safest place in Oro Valley.

Mayor Winfield stated that it was also the happiest place in town.

Things haven't always been that way in council chambers. There have been some very tough decisions that have been made, some divisive to council. But this decision, the one to retain Riley, brought the council and the community together.

It was a great moment for Oro Valley
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Let's Meet Our New Chief of Police, Kara Riley

A rare event this evening
Tonight, Oro Valley will witness a rare event: The appointment of a Chief of Police. The appointment of an Oro Valley police chief is like the appointment of a US Supreme Court justice. It rarely happens. The appointee serves for many years.

Wolfe and Sharp: twenty years a piece
Oro Valley Police Department has had two Chiefs in the past 40 years: They are: Werner Wolfe, who served from 1980 to 1999; and Daniel Sharp, who will have served from 2000 until his retirement later this month.

Twenty years for Riley? "I hope so"
The new chief is Kara Riley, a Commander in the Oro Valley Police Department . She is a 16 year veteran of service to our community. We asked Riley during our interview yesterday if she would want to be our police chief for the next 20 years. She was enthusiastic in her response: “I hope so!” If that happens, she will accumulate a total of 36 years of community service to Oro Valley. Wouldn't that be something!

A career in law enforcement discovered because of a traffic stop
"At 17, I got my drivers license. I got a ticket. I got stopped by a Tucson police officer."  According to Riley, it was a pleasant stop. "I wish I knew who it was because he took time to explain to me what law enforcement was about, all the while writing me my ticket. I asked the question: 'Could women go into law enforcement'?” Apparently, the Cop told her yes.

"That was my Ah-Hah moment. Your moment of saying: 'this was the path I was going to take.' "

Perhaps Riley was destined to be in Oro Valley 
Riley's career took her from Rincon High to Oro Valley. She earned a degree in Sociology from the University of Arizona and was embarking on a masters degree when she had the good fortune of being accepted into the Police Academy. One of her instructors was Daniel Sharp. Later, she would meet the Chief's wife, a Sergeant in the Tucson Police Department. Their paths would cross while Riley was on the police force of the Tucson Airport Authority.

Family matters most
“To know me, you have to know my family...My greatest accomplishment in life is being a mother. I had one shot at it." In 2001, "My husband at the time and I decided we would focus on raising my daughter.” Riley's daughter graduates from Ironwood Ridge this spring. Riley is also proud of her father, James Riley, and his accomplishments; and her two sisters and brother. All are UA "through and through."

We have much more to write regarding our discussion with our new Police Chief in upcoming LOVE postings. In the meantime, let's celebrate this victory for our community tonight in Council Chambers.

Commander Kara Riley To Be Oro Valley Police Chief

Commander Riley is next Chief
The Oro Valley Town Council has selected Commander Kara Riley as its next chief. The council will formally appoint her on at next weeks' council meeting.

Riley has served our community for 15 years, rising though the ranks. She knows our town. She knows our police department.

Chief-In-Waiting Kara Riley

"She has been employed with the department since 2004, and has held multiple positions including executive officer, patrol lieutenant and support services lieutenant." It is in that last position that LOVE had the opportunity to meet with her.

Result of an extensive national search
The council retained Novak Consulting Group, an Ohio based firm, to conduct a national search. They "...received 70 applications for the position from 31 states, the District of Columbia and several from outside the United States. According to the firm, applicants had an average of 27 years of law enforcement experience and 10 years’ experience at the command staff level."

Riley: "The best of the best"
Some did not want the town to do an external and internal search. Instead, they wanted the town to select between two internal candidates. Rather than simply doing that, the council voted to do a nationwide search for candidates: To seek out the very best. Any internal candidate selected after that search most certainly is the "best of the best"

LOVE congratulates Commander Riley. May you serve many years in keeping our police a force of excellence--- the Pride of Oro Valley!
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Items quoted are from the town's press release