Sheriff backs rebuilding Cochise County jail at existing site; public meeting set

Sheriff Mark Danos said Cochise County—s consultant recommendation and his own operational advisers favor rebuilding the county jail at the existing site, and encouraged residents to review his position paper and attend a forthcoming public meeting.

Danos, speaking on KWCD—s First Watch on July 4, said consultants assessed court access, medical proximity and staffing patterns when recommending the site. "They look everything from court location, medical location, staffing location," he said. He added that his operational recommendation "matches the experts" and pointed listeners to a position paper posted on the Cochise County Sheriff—s Office Facebook page.

The sheriff said a majority of county jail staff live in the southern portion of the county and that staff location informed the recommendation: "Majority of my staff live in between Bisbee and Douglas and Sierra Vista," he said, adding that staff distribution was a "huge factor." He also noted his commander, Kenny Bradshaw, provided subject-matter expertise; Bradshaw is described by the sheriff as a retired deputy warden with nearly 40 years in corrections.

Danos said the Cochise County Board of Supervisors will hold a public meeting on the site-selection work next Thursday; he asked listeners to "verify the time" and said the meeting is tentatively scheduled for early evening. He encouraged residents to call the sheriff—s office for a copy of the position paper if they cannot access Facebook.

The sheriff framed the matter as an operational decision informed by consultants and correctional staff; he did not report any final board vote during the broadcast. No formal motion or vote was taken on air.

For more information, Danos directed listeners to the Cochise County Sheriff—s Office Facebook page and offered the sheriff—s office as a point of contact for printed copies of the position paper.