Pima County struggling to fill constable positions after death of Deborah Martinez-Garibay

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County is struggling to keep constables.

Last month, Presiding Justice for Precinct 1 Constable John Dorer turned in his letter of resignation after he says he was attacked while helping serve an eviction notice.

This comes just two months after Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay and two others were killed while evicting someone at the Lind Common Apartments in Precinct 8.

With several constable positions open, the Pima County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday to discuss the challenges they face.

"We have two constables doing the job of all of them right now because they're coming to work and there's a lot of different reasons for that," Adelita Grijalva, Pima County Board Supervisor said.

Grijalva says after Martinez-Garibay was killed while serving an eviction, it brought concerns of safety and the risks of the job.

"You know, I think a lot was brought to the attention of our community at large the risk that our constables take with the horrible passing of constable Martinez-Garibay," Grijalva said.

As it stands, constable positions are elected with no oversight committee.

There are 12 different precincts. To qualify, you must be 18 or older and live within the district.

Since the death of constable Martinez-Garibay, Grijalva says there has been requests for the county to assign deputies as constables.

"What I'd asked for from legal is some advice on what is it that we would have to do in order to change how constables are appointed," Grijalva said. "Because right now that system is certainly broken."

Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy says he hopes the challenges the county faces with hiring helps them make improvements to the position.

"This is an opportunity for them to serve their community, this is an opportunity for them to seek a profession and this is an opportunity for them to turn the whole system around," Christy said.