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Board approves filling detention vacancies; sheriff cancels ADCRR cadet contract and plans in‑house academy
Summary
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 6 authorized the county jail to fill a vacant detention corporal post and three detention officer positions and approved cancelling an agreement with the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry for cadet training after the state sought to raise the per‑cadet fee.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 6 authorized the county jail to fill a vacant detention corporal position and three detention officer positions and approved cancelling an existing agreement with the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) for detention officer training after the state sought to raise the per‑cadet fee.
The action matters because the sheriff’s office told the board the positions are already funded in the budget and that in‑house training will let cadets train on the county’s actual policies, cameras and medical response instead of a standardized state curriculum.
Sheriff: “These are funded positions, already in the budget, and they're just vacancies to be filled. No additional cost.” The sheriff also said the county’s jail commander, John Marquez, is experienced in training and was recognized this year by the National Jail Institute.
Board members heard that ADCRR recently proposed increasing the academy cost from $920 per cadet to $1,400 per cadet. The sheriff described the change as a contract dispute and said the county is not using the state academy for new officers and instead plans to run its own detention officer academy, a practice the sheriff said is common among Arizona counties. He also said Pima County has offered the county access to its academy at no charge, though that would require travel and per‑diem costs for officers.
Discussion versus formal action: supervisors asked whether cancelling the ADCRR agreement would create any unintended consequences; the sheriff responded there were none identified and that the county could reenter an agreement if it chose to. The board moved and seconded the items to (1) authorize filling one detention corporal and three detention officer positions and (2) cancel the ADCRR agreement referenced on the agenda. Both motions were approved by the board.
The sheriff described operational advantages of local training: cadets can work in the county’s actual control room and on the facility’s firing range, and they will train on local medical and sally port procedures rather than a simulated setup.
Next steps: the sheriff said the county can reestablish a contract with ADCRR at any time or use Pima County’s academy if operational needs change.
