Cochise County sheriff: judge accepted proposed jail-district settlement; sheriff seeks expertsreport but will not release vulnerability file

Sheriff Mark Dannels said a judge accepted a proposed settlement in the Cochise County jail-district election challenge, and the sheriff expressed concern about the lack of clarity and public information around the decision.

The sheriff said the county had "a path forward" toward building a new jail that now appears paused by the court ruling. "I have more questions than answers," he said, describing the outcome as important to his office because the sheriff's department and the public would be direct beneficiaries of a new facility.

The sheriff told hosts on the KWCD radio program First Watch that he had received notice about an experts report on the jail, but that the document had been produced under attorney-client privilege and described it as a vulnerability report. He said: "That was a protective under attorney client privilege document to include. It's a vulnerability document, which means it talks about the weaknesses in our facility. It talks about the vulnerabilities in our facility." He added he would not release it, saying releasing it publicly would "jeopardiz[e] my operations." "I would love to release it to everybody right now," he said, "but I won't release it because of the fact that it puts my officers and safeguards my operations and jeopardizes my operations, and I can't let that happen."

Why this matters: the sheriff framed the dispute as primarily an election challenge rather than a public-safety litigation matter, but said the result affects planning for a new jail and the welfare of officers and inmates. He said the Cochise County Board has told him they will build a jail and he will hold them to that commitment.

Details reported on the program included the judge's acceptance of a proposed settlement and the scheduling of a new election on the district's status. The sheriff said he has not been included in discussions following the court action and is awaiting more information; he said he had read the same reports available to the public. "The bottom line is this, is the fact that I support the rule of law," he said, adding that his concern stems from the public-safety implications for his office and inmates.

The sheriff also explained his decision-making about releasing sensitive material. He described the experts' report as a document that details vulnerabilities, and said releasing it now would place officers and inmates at risk. "I will fight that one because that's an operational issue," he said.

What the sheriff did not say on the air: the program transcript does not provide dates for the court ruling, the settlement terms, the schedule for the new election or the specifics of what the experts' report contains. The transcript records the sheriff's position and statements of concern but not the court documents themselves or responses from other county officials.

The sheriff said listeners would "hear more about that here soon," indicating the department expects further public statements or developments.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this report are identified in the provenance below.