Hummer seized from drug dealers put to good use
Paul Babeu
January 6, 2010
Florence, Ariz. – Volunteers play a
vital role in the daily functions of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. Each year
PCSO volunteers save the Sheriff’s Office hundreds of thousands of dollars through
the various activities they participate in and the numerous tasks they gladly take
on, all to ensure the effective and efficient operation of their Sheriff’s Office.
Photo by Terrance Thornton, Queen Creek, Independent. COP Program Director Pat Prince, Pinal
County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Pinal County Supervisor Bryan Martyn, and COP volunteers: Joe Lanear, Wayne Karver, Kay Karver, Rick Reynolds, Jackie Zapp, Steve Zapp, Robert Cunningham, Janice Cunningham, Howard Rinehart, Mitzi Rinehart, Steve Leonard, Donna Huss, Tom Wolf, John Christman and Bob Miller.
On January 5, Sheriff Paul Babeu presented the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Citizens
on Patrol Volunteers with the county’s first ever patrol H2 Hummer. The Hummer,
seized from drug dealers during a narcotics operation, has been cleaned up and the
drugs once there have been replaced with a police radio, flashlights and patrol
equipment and marked with Sheriff’s Office decals.
Over the past year, 55 Pinal County COP Volunteers have spent over 6,600 hours helping
deputies keep our communities safe, raising money to support their program, helping
provide Christmas gifts to Pinal County children and ultimately saving the Sheriff’s
Office and county over $130,000 through their volunteer efforts.
“Our COP Volunteers have done outstanding work by helping patrol our neighborhoods
and checking businesses. The Hummer was once used for criminal activity and will
no w be used for a lawful purpose. It will be used to raise our profile and improve
safety in our county,” commented Sheriff Paul Babeu. “I appreciate our volunteers
all the more while our budgets are tight and crime has not stopped. COP’s have helped
our deputies countless times every week and serve as extra eyes and ears to report
suspicious activity.”
COP Volunteers can be seen everywhere: directing vehicles to parking lots and detours
during special events; talking to children and adults, passing out information at
various events across the county, cooking burgers and selling prize tickets to raise
money and awareness for their program, and keeping an eye on things in their communities.
The members of the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Citizens on Patrol, most call
them the COP, are citizens who have stepped forward and taken responsibility for
the safety of their communities.
If a local business has had frequent break ins or break in attempts or a person
has gone on vacation, the COP will take special care to drive through those neighborhoods
several times both day and night to ensure these areas are safe. Not only are they
there to report suspicious activity, but criminals are discouraged by the mere presence
of an official law enforcement vehicle with emergency lights driven by alert volunteers
who they know are in constant radio contact with deputies.
The COP is led by Mrs. Pat Prince of Gold Canyon who has done an amazing job with
her team of volunteers in increasing the communication between the Sheriff’s Office
and the communities they serve. They have done this through their direct communication
with deputies, through educating and informing their communities regarding what’s
going on within the Sheriff’s Office and uniting to support their Sheriff’s Office.
The Citizens on Patrol are continually recruiting new volunteers who want to make a difference in their communities. If you would like additional information or are interested in becoming a COP volunteer, please contact Mrs. Pat Price, COP Program Director at patprince6064@msn.com or by calling the Sheriff’s Office Gold Canyon Substation at 480-982-2241.
Related story: Pinal County Citizens on patrol
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