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Cochise County sheriff says governor's fentanyl executive order lacks clarity for local agencies
Summary
Sheriff Mark Danels said sheriffs agreed to a statewide fentanyl task force but were surprised by an executive order that reoriented the effort to a concentrated border operation; he said local agencies need a plan that complements existing operations.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Danels told listeners he and other Arizona sheriffs agreed in principle to participate in a statewide fentanyl task force but said they were surprised when the governor issued an executive order that emphasized a four-border concentration.
"We had a call from Homeland Security ... saying, hey, would you guys participate in a statewide fentanyl task force? We said, sure," Danels said. He added that sheriffs met with the governor's team three weeks before the executive order and expected follow-up details. "We had no idea what's coming out, that they're gonna do it. So today, I still can't tell you what this means."
Danels described the problem as urgent: "Do we have a fentanyl problem? You bet we do. You bet we do. ... We have the purpose. We have the need." He said the figure of fentanyl pills cited in the conversation underscores the scale of trafficking but said local officials need a clear plan for implementation.
Danels said he called the governor's office to express his dissatisfaction with the timing and lack of operational details and urged that any new task force "complement what's already in place here." "We already have a very robust border operation. So we're not gonna stop that and do something different. It's gotta complement that," he said.
He said Cochise County will seek further updates and promised to provide listeners more information in future broadcasts.
