Residents warn of public-safety and staffing impacts after sheriff withdraws from Operation Stone Garden

Local residents and a former sheriff’s office sergeant told the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4 that Sheriff Hathaway’s recent decision to withdraw from Operation Stone Garden could have a meaningful effect on local public safety and county finances.

“Looking as a former supervisor with the sheriff’s office…when we'd have calls come in that are unique to us on the Southern Border…these were calls that we relied on Operation Stone Garden units for,” Travis Arnold, a Rio Rico resident and former sergeant with the sheriff’s office, told the board. He said deputy losses from the program’s withdrawal were currently estimated at “between 8 to 12 people,” adding that replacing those positions will be expensive.

Arnold also said the county could face significant costs to repay federal grants and equipment purchased under the program at fair market value, and he gave an estimate “well over a million dollars.” He urged the board to use available leverage and recommended allowing deputies to unionize or receive meet-and-confer status to give them a stronger voice about employment conditions.

Speakers framed Stone Garden’s role as more than overtime funding; they described it as a source of specialized staffing for border-related rescues, humanitarian responses and assistance to federal partners. The board did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; the item arose during the call-to-the-public period where the board noted it generally does not respond to non-agendized items.

The remarks underscore local concern about operational impacts when federal-supported programs change and a push from some residents for the county to consider labor and staffing changes that could mitigate effects on public safety.