The move, which some on the board said they approve of, would put Guadalupe on a 180-day notice for cancellation of a contract originally set to expire in 2010.
The Town of Guadalupe is facing a loss of police protection from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. On Wednesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors could vote to cancel sheriff's office protection for the Phoenix suburb.
The move, which some on the board said they approve of, would put Guadalupe on a 180-day notice for cancellation of a contract originally set to expire in 2010.
A heated confrontation between Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the former town mayor, Rebecca Jimenez, and her goofy antics led the sheriff to cancel a contract between the sheriff's office and the town.
The contract pays Maricopa County $1.2 million annually for providing police protection in Guadalupe. Town officials are hoping for a change of heart from Arpaio and the board.
"At this point, we have no alternatives to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office,'' Guadalupe Mayor Frank Montiel said. He is the new mayor of Guadalupe.
Montiel replaced Rebecca Jimenez as mayor earlier this month. Jimenez remains on the town board.
Montiel said he wants to establish a better relationship with the sheriff's office and is hoping that the two sides can reach an agreement before the contract expires. "I hope Mr. Arpaio will see it that way, also. We do have new leadership,'' Montiel said.
Arpaio said he might be willing to continue police protection in Guadalupe if things go his way.
"If I want to come back in there with my suppression operation, I will,'' he said.
It was a crime suppression operation that stirred anger in former Mayor Jimenez. She called the sweep racial profiling and said she planned to consider other options for law enforcement. During one sweep, Jimenez confronted Arpaio on live television, which led the sheriff to cancel the policing contract.
Supervisors have been inclined to go with Arpaio's recommendation on the matter. The sheriff originally made it in April, when the discussions with Guadalupe officials were most heated.
"The sheriff is determined to move on, (and) outside law enforcement is largely a creation of his own ability and desire,'' Republican Supervisor Don Stapley said.
"When he calls me and says, "We're not going to continue there, it's real hard for me to say, "Yes, you are."
Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, a frequent critic of Arpaio's immigration policies, will oppose the cancellation. Wilcox's district includes the town. "Guadalupe is going to become a casualty of these immigration battles, and we're going to leave a small town without services,'' Wilcox said. "It's really irresponsible of us.''
As far as alternatives, Phoenix and the Department of Public Safety have declined to contract with Guadalupe.
Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris says doing so could lead some neighborhoods without adequate police protection.
The DPS also told town leaders it could not provide police services, DPS Deputy Director Pennie Gillette-Stroud said.
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