Sheriff Danos criticizes proposed 911 funding shift, highlights regional SWAT, AED grants and local safety initiatives
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Summary
On KWCD's First Watch, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Danos warned that a state change would shift most 911 costs to local governments, praised recent regionalization of SWAT and a 110-AED grant, and urged fire‑season preparedness and safer driving practices.
Sheriff Mark Danos used a local radio appearance to criticize a state plan he said would shift a larger share of 911-system costs onto local governments and to outline recent changes in county public-safety operations.
"By the way, on 911, we're gonna pay 65%," Danos said on KWCD's First Watch, calling the timing "appalling" and saying his office and other local officials sent a letter to the governor's office opposing the change. He also said Arizona currently holds "almost $2,000,000,000" in a rainy-day fund while the new cost share would impose an unanticipated expense on rural budgets.
Danos described several operational efforts intended to strengthen local responses. He said Cochise County finished a four‑year effort to regionalize its SWAT team with partner agencies, which he called a "force multiplier," and credited interagency coordination in a recent long high-speed pursuit that began in Cochise County and ended with suspects taken into custody after a spike strip. "Regionalizing... makes it there for both cost and effectiveness," he said.
He highlighted equipment and medical response improvements, saying the department obtained 110 automated external defibrillators through a grant and deployed them to patrol cars, volunteers and detention staff. "The helicopters we have cost the county nothing," he added, noting aviation support is grant-funded.
On community readiness, Danos urged residents to prepare for fire season and to avoid dangerous behaviors that increase wildfire risk. He also described a recent traffic stop to illustrate distracted-driving dangers, urging drivers to "put your cell phones down" and pay attention to lanes.
The sheriff encouraged residents to engage with law-enforcement outreach — praising frontline participation in a TAG (team advisory group) that feeds operational suggestions to leadership — and recommended attending public outreach events, including community meetings with the new Tucson‑sector Border Patrol chief, John Morris.
No formal state policy text was produced on-air; Danos described the funding change and said local officials would contest it. The sheriff framed most comments as operational updates and public-safety reminders rather than requests for action from the board or a vote.
The radio segment closed with reminders about community outreach and public-safety resources, and Danos invited listeners to follow departmental updates on social media.
