Cochise County sheriff highlights 24/7 mental‑health response team, warns of scams and urges wildfire preparedness ahead of Cars for Kids fundraiser

Sheriff Mark Dannels said Cochise County now operates a 24/7 mental‑health response team of four professionals and a doctor and credited a Legacy Foundation grant for helping sustain the program. He also warned listeners about ongoing scams that recently cost a local elderly couple more than $88,000, urged residents to sign up for the county's AlertSense mass‑notification system, and invited the public to the Cars for Kids fundraiser this weekend.

Dannels told KWCD's First Watch that he and county colleagues traveled to Paradise Valley to brief donors and state officials about Cochise County's border interdiction and intervention programs. "There was a lot of folks there last night, a lot of influential people from the state and from government all the way through," he said, and noted the meeting produced renewed support for the county's mental‑health response team.

The nut graf: For a largely rural county, a 24/7 professional mental‑health response team represents a new layer of crisis support; at the same time, county leaders say scams and seasonal wildfire risk are pressing concerns that rely on public awareness and participation in county systems such as AlertSense.

Dannels described the mental‑health effort as a team of four professionals plus a doctor who can be dispatched through the sheriff's office or CCOM. He said the program is grant‑funded and that the Legacy Foundation has helped sustain it. "If you need someone care, give us the sheriff's office a call or give CCOM a call and they'll have somebody dispatch that," he said.

The sheriff also warned against phone and QR scams, recounting a recent case in which an elderly couple lost "over $88,000" after bank accounts were closed. "Do not give personal information," Dannels said. “Call us. Call law enforcement. That's the biggest thing I can say to you. Let us verify it," he added.

On wildfire preparedness, Dannels urged residents to follow the Ready, Set, Go guidance used by Arizona sheriffs and to maintain defensible property around homes and prepare livestock evacuation plans. He emphasized registration in the county's AlertSense system as the primary way residents receive fast, targeted emergency notifications and provided the county web address for signups: cochise.az.gov/sheriff.

Dannels also promoted Cars for Kids, a sheriff's office fundraiser scheduled to begin with registration from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Hobby Lobby/Cal Ranch parking lot, followed by an auction at 2 p.m. He said organizers are "hoping to hit 300 cars this year" and noted the event has raised more than $50,000 in past years. Among the auction items he highlighted is an HVAC system, including equipment and installation, donated by local businesses and valued at up to $20,000.

Dannels used the broadcast to note his new leadership roles with sheriffs' organizations, saying he is the incoming president of the Western State Sheriffs Association and also chairs the Southwest Border Sheriffs group. He said those affiliations will bring opportunities to coordinate programs and training with other jurisdictions.

The sheriff closed by inviting listeners to the Cars for Kids fundraiser and reminding residents that law enforcement is available to verify suspicious calls or offers.

Aired remarks occurred on KWCD's First Watch program and were carried live on the station's community segment.