Pima County Sheriff
Nanos vs Lappin
This one I felt was really important because although Chris Nanos is an incumbent, there have been numerous issues with his reign as sheriff, leaving voters (like me) wondering if he deserves another term.
If watching debates interests you, here you go:
I found this debate very compelling. It was highly animated, with candidates actively throwing accusations at each other, and especially Chris Nanos getting visibly agitated. He accused Lappin of not having enough leadership experience within the Sherriff’s department and she answered that although this is true, she does have 20 years of experience within the department and she has an education that focuses on good leadership. They both accused each other of improper conduct in their jobs. I did not fact check any of it.
Regarding immigration, Sheriff Nanos said he is against Prop 314 and emphatically stated that immigration enforcement is the job of the federal government and he has other things to pay attention to. Lappin did not endorse or specifically oppose 314, but expressed sympathy with those who drafted it, saying that border issues are real and people are desperate for solutions.
I also thought it was interesting that Lappin directly addressed why her campaign website is full of pictures of her holding guns and looking real tough. She said in the past she has dealt with a lot of misogyny, people saying she didn’t “look like” a sheriff. If she wore a suit in her photos people made fun of her and said she looked like she was running for PTA. She has had people tell her that her name doesn’t “sound like” a sheriff. The gun photos were her way of trying to get past the misogyny and show the public that a woman CAN be a good sheriff. If elected, she would be the county’s first female sheriff.
If you want a more comprehensive summary of the debate that you can quickly read over, including all the topics addressed, Tucson Sentinel published a great one.
Chris Nanos (Incumbent)
Says we have increased our public safety effectiveness and mentions that crime rates in Pima county have been trending downward. He provides the link to the website where you can look at this data yourself.
Led the regionalized effort to create the Critical Incident Team which has regional partners investigate officer-involved shootings and improve transparency in incidents involving officers’ use of force and in-custody deaths
After the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, Nanos launched an Active Shooter Response Team by bringing together law enforcement agencies and 14 regional school district superintendents. They are working to train school personnel how to respond and work with law enforcement in the event of a school shooting.
Established a community engagement team
Increased staffing
Redrew districts to shorten response time
Added a new Vail substation and is working on another in the San Xavier District
Doubled School Resource Officers in every middle and high school. There is now an assigned SRO in every public school in the county
Established a Civilian Advisory Review Board made up of civilian volunteers who have access to all areas of the department and can make recommendations of protocol
Acquired body-cams for all men and women in the service
Developed a Wellness Unit staffed with mental health professionals
Salary increases for Personnel that cut attrition rates for Correction Officers and Deputies by more than half.
Addressed maintenance and security issues at the jail.
Endorsed by Pima County Deputy Sheriff's Association, the Sheriff’s Labor Association of Pima County, and the National Organization of Women
has faced some negative press recently, was criminally investigated by the State AG for his handling of the sexual assault of a female deputy, but the AG found no criminal wrongdoing.
Has had some legal challenges https://azluminaria.org/2024/07/05/pima-county-sheriff-chris-nanos-seeking-re-election-has-a-trail-of-lawsuits/
Pima County Deputy’s Organization apparently does not hold him in confidence https://news.azpm.org/p/azpmnews/2024/1/18/218819-deputys-union-releases-vote-of-no-confidence-over-sheriff-nanos/
Heather Lappin
Currently serves as the East Section Commander at the Pima County Adult Detention Center
Has held many leadership roles within the Sheriff’s Department and says she knows firsthand what the issues are and how to fix them.
Priorities: Keep families safe, prioritize our jail, budget transparency and protecting taxpayers, improved deputy training and retention, restore integrity to the Sheriff’s Office
Her plan for the first 180 days in office includes:
Increased patrol - she feels that increasing the number of officers on patrol will increase community engagement and forge relationships with the community. She says that Nanos has critically understaffed Patrol and it has led to burnout.
Cut the bloated number of Commanders - cushy desk jobs are not where priorities should lie, and decreasing the number of commanders will save taxpayer money.
Return directed patrol to the district - “Directed Patrol Units deal exclusively with quality-of-life issues (homelessness, drugs, street racing, etc.) in our community. Currently, there is just one centralized unit for the whole county. One unit can not address an entire county adequately. Our citizens must feel heard and seen. Focused patrols with missions directed toward both residents and businesses can accomplish this. Sheriff Lappin will return them to the districts, as Sheriff Dupnik did previously, to more readily respond to issues and be much more effective than they currently are.”
Jail Safety - “Sheriff Lappin will focus on opening opportunities for correction staff with employee development at the forefront by returning to a 9-week Corrections Academy (currently only 6 weeks) and focus heavily on medical response and improved defensive tactics. Corrections Officers would return to yearly-required training. She will also work closely with the board of supervisors to acquire more corrections officer positions to make the jail safer for both officers and inmates.”
Endorsed by former Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier, Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs, Pima County Deputy’s Organization, Tucson Police Protective League
In my research I found an article from the Tucson Agenda about her. This was a section I found compelling: “Lappin said she didn’t consider herself a good candidate until people convinced her otherwise and that it was time for a change at the top. She said she’s spent years teaching and studying leadership (she’s about to graduate with her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Northern Arizona University), which gave her some insight into the department’s current leadership style.
“It’s not bad, just antiquated. They’re old fashioned and it’s that power, ego, ‘do as I say,’ and it’s fear-based. I believe in collaborative leadership,” she said. “When you get people doing what you want because they fear you, you’re getting the bare minimum. But when you get people doing what you want because you motivate and empower them, you’re getting way more than the bare minimum.”
UPDATE: More has transpired in this race. A few days ago, Chris Nanos put Heather Lappin on administrative leave supposedly because she worked with a journalist to pay a source at the jail for a story. However, more information has come about. The journalist in question was from the Arizona Luminaria and this is what they said about it.
The allegation boiled down to Luminaria reporter John Washington reimbursing an inmate who paid $20 to use a jail phone to speak with Washington for an interview, the Luminaria’s Yana Kunichoff reports. The outlet sent a newsletter yesterday with the headline “$20 well spent” and quoted a journalism expert saying it wasn’t unethical to reimburse an economically disadvantaged source for an expense incurred by doing an interview.
Democrat Matt Heinz on the Pima County Board of Supervisors has endorsed Heather Lappin and said that Nanos was acting like a dictator. Nanos is accused of putting Lappin on leave simply as retaliation for running against him.
I have also spoken with two people who have family members that work with the sheriff’s department and they said that the overall consensus at the department is that they want Heather Lappin to win.