Boy, am I glad not to be in the Posse at this time! It was satisfying and fun during Sheriff Joe’s terms:
“Will not subject our membership to Political ‘Witch Hunts.’
For reasons contrary than reported to the media, Sheriff Paul Penzone placed all current posse members on suspension. The suspension remains until all members pass “additional vetting” Legitimate testing and qualifications are not an issue. We have kept up with all new standards. It is the vaguely worded “additional vetting” that our membership takes issue with. It’s really a political witch hunt. It’s a way to identify whom supported the previous administration and a way to kill the posse program. Our members passed MCSO background checks, some as recently as last year. Our QAP members must pass the same AZ post testing qualifications that compensated deputies do. We attended the same yearly court ordered training our counterparts do.
The ugly truth is that Paul Penzone accepted over 3 million dollars from a party outside of Arizona called “Maricopa Strong”. This is publicly on record.
https://recorder.maricopa.gov/CampFinDocs/pdf/2016_38048.pdf
Maricopa Strong is made up of wealthy billionaires who do NOT live in Maricopa county, most live in different states. Sheriff Penzone is now getting rid of anything that the previous Sheriff supported regardless if benefits Arizona citizens. We gave Penzone a chance but soon found what his real motives were. As the Sheriff he can suspend the posse and paint the narrative of transparency. But like a battered spouse we do not have to be subjected to his lies, accusations, or abuse any longer. We will no longer be providing services, directing traffic during Anthem community runs, providing welfare checks, vacation watch, animal cruelty prevention, backing up D4 deputies, assisting DUI taskforce, searching for lost hikers, or returning lost children during Anthem events. Keep in mind our membership worked for free.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s North Valley Posse was a diverse volunteer organization of specially trained men and women who served the residents of our community by providing law enforcement support services to the Sheriff’s office.
It is sad that Sheriff Penzone is so out of touch with small, local communities and that he places larger politics on a more important level than supporting the communities that rely on the posse. Not to mention supporting the deputies that literally put their lives at stake to keep the outlying areas safe.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s North Valley Posse: 2002 – 2019.”
J-P
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