SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The State of Arizona is devoting more resources to border security and economic development in Cochise County. Wednesday, Governor Katie Hobbs came to Sierra Vista to highlight the infusion of funds.
People in rural Arizona sometimes think state government simply forgot about them. Governor Hobbs came to Cochise County to try to show that it hasn’t.
A lot of the border runs through Cochise County and that channels trouble through Cochise County, and small towns like Bisbee.
Bisbee Police Chief Timothy Cox leads a department with just eight officers. He says they had a series of drug busts that added up to about a half million fentanyl pills—and says the fact that Bisbee is on some of the main smuggling routes puts plenty of danger on the road.
The Chief says, “I can talk for me personally about three months ago, me, as the chief of police down there I got into a failure to yield situation and a pursuit. That pursuit took me almost 50 miles at an average speed of 119 miles an hour.”
Speaking at the Cochise College campus in Sierra Vista, Governor Hobbs announced a law enforcement package that devotes $41 Million dollars to things like better cameras, communications, radars, and a regional helicopter that should track smuggler cars with less chance of a dangerous, high speed chase.
She says it’s part of a commitment to support rural communities.
“This community has done the best job that you can with what you've been given something that I've come to learn that our rural communities are very good at, but we need to do better for you and for our entire state”
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels says state aid is helping him open an operations center to coordinate the fight against human and drug smuggling.
“That's going to be networked throughout Arizona and beyond, to other states so we can identify those cartel members working within the United States and continue to address our criminal cartels south of the border.”
Besides funds for law enforcement, Governor Hobbs announced a boost for the Cochise County economy. It’s 8 million dollars to bring high speed internet to rural areas there.
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