Cochise County sheriff recounts hospital escape, search-and-rescue operations and new transport rule on KWCD
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Summary
On KWCD's First Watch Sheriff Mark Dells described a hospital escape attempt by an inmate who was tasered and returned to custody, praised recent search-and-rescue responses, and announced a new two‑deputy mandate for certain mental‑health transports; he also highlighted a planned drone‑training partnership with Cochise College and community outreach events.
Sheriff Mark Dells told listeners on KWCD’s First Watch that deputies recently recovered an inmate who left a hospital after being brought in from the jail, saying: "we ended up tasing her" and that staff and deputies worked together to return the person to custody. The sheriff thanked hospital medical personnel for their cooperation and said the office escorted the person back into custody outside the facility.
Dells also described recent search-and-rescue operations: personnel responded to reported human remains in the Chiricahua area and coordinated notification with Mexican authorities, and crews extracted a person who fell about "70 feet" from Rockefeller Dome in the Dragoon Mountains. He praised volunteers and multi‑agency partners for those complex rescues.
Reflecting issues raised by front-line staff at a monthly Team Advisory Group (TAG) meeting, the sheriff said the office adopted a standing operational direction that "we have a mandate of 2 deputies will always transport an individual" for certain mental‑health transports, a change intended to reduce safety and litigation risk in single‑deputy rural transports.
Dells said a long‑running radio coverage problem inside the county jail was fixed this week after county IT work restored two‑way communications across portions of the facility. He praised IT and frontline personnel for raising the issue in TAG and getting it resolved.
The sheriff also announced a planned partnership with Cochise College to host a drone‑training certification program for law‑enforcement pilots and said the recent Dragonfly event and a visit from philanthropist Howard Buffett brought national attention and local collaboration opportunities.
Dells reminded residents of routine community outreach: the department will ring bells for the Salvation Army on Black Friday at Walmart and will participate in an upcoming food‑box distribution with local partners. He closed with a weather safety advisory — "Dress warm" — urging drivers to clear windshields and slow down on slick roads.
Next steps: the sheriff's office said it will continue public outreach on safety and operational changes and pursue the drone‑training work with Cochise College.
