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Board accepts $56,600 state funds for “pepper ball” less-lethal munitions for sheriff's office
Summary
Cochise County accepted $56,600 in state appropriations to purchase pepper-ball less-lethal munitions and related equipment for the sheriff's office after a public question about an immigration nexus; Sheriff’s commander said the equipment is for tactical, non-immigration law-enforcement situations.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on Sept. 2 to approve Resolution 25-27, accepting $56,600 in state funding from the Arizona General Appropriations Act (House Bill 2897) to purchase pepper-ball munitions and related equipment for the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.
A member of the public, Trisha Jaredette, asked whether the weapons were intended for immigration enforcement and whether they could be used on U.S. citizens. Commander Robert Watkins of the sheriff's office responded that the equipment "has no nexus to immigration," and described the devices as less-lethal munitions used within the department's use-of-force continuum for situations like barricaded or actively aggressive suspects.
Commander Watkins compared the devices to paintball-style launchers that fire pepper-filled projectiles. "If you imagine a paintball with a hopper device... they are very, very effective and they also carry like glass breaking rounds," he said, adding that the munitions are deployed for tactical situations to create time and space for de-escalation. Watkins said the department has fielded similar devices for about eight years.
The board approved the resolution accepting the funds on a 3–0 vote.
No additional restrictions or reporting requirements for use of the equipment were included in the materials presented to the board during the meeting. The sheriff's office representative described intended operational use (less-lethal tactics in tactical situations) and denied a direct connection to immigration enforcement.
