Navajo County Sheriff KC Clark, a Holbrook Democrat, is seeking a third term in office, with an eye on continuing the services and successes that the office has provided.
“I want to continue as we have for the past eight years in making this the best sheriff’s office in the state,” commented Clark, adding that the task is simple when working with the people that he has had the privilege to work with over the years.
Clark went down the list of items he said he would accomplish and has during his time serving the county.
“We’ve reduced our command staff and increased the number of deputies on the road. Thanks to a grant from HIDTA (Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) we were able to add even more deputies to a total of six new deputies.
“When I first started, the average response time was three hours for a deputy, and now it’s down to an average of 11 to 14 minutes. The deputies used to just drive around and now they’re being held accountable for their time by keeping logs of where they go and by the GPS on their vehicles,” he said.
Clark noted that he was able to work with the Native American tribes to cross-deputize law enforcement officers to provide better service on and off the reservations, he worked with other law enforcement agencies in order to create a regional dispatch and most recently the sheriff’s office made an agreement with the Show Low Police Department to share a new dual-use facility that includes a jail, saving taxpayer dollars and deputies’ time by not having to transport prisoners from south county up to Holbrook.
With the anticipated $1 million shortfall for the county budget due for the most part to the closure of the Cholla Power Plant in Joseph City, Clark explained that handling the loss of funding and finding solutions will not be easy. “It takes vision,” said Clark. “My office has remained under budget most of the time. This year we were under by nine percent. We were still able to provide pay increases and when pay cuts came, it didn’t affect the deputies.”
Clark attributes the Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers (SAV) program with saving the county a significant amount of money, providing security for events and crime scenes, helping with office work, and assisting with search and rescue efforts.
Clark admitted that there is attrition, but stated that there are currently no openings on patrol. “Attrition is no different here than anywhere else in the state. They leave if they are unhappy or for more money. We’ve had some go to DPS (Department of Public Safety) and others to the Valley,” he noted.
Drug interdiction is a key component of the sheriff’s office duties, especially with heroin becoming a serious issue. “When people are addicted to Oxycontin at $25 to $35 a pill, heroin is a lot cheaper and it’s a real problem,” said Clark.
He has worked with the county attorney’s office to promote drug rehabilitation programs in the jail to reduce recidivism and to be proactive in reducing crime. “Before becoming sheriff I believed in putting people in jail. Then you realize you’re seeing the same people over and over, and then you start arresting their kids. Incarceration is very expensive. Getting them rehabilitation is more humanitarian and allows them to contribute to society,” he explained.
Clark said he has also worked with Northland Pioneer College to provide regional training for officers at the Northeast Arizona Training Center in Taylor so that all agencies have a shared training. This opportunity also saves money, as officers receive training locally rather than traveling long distances and spending tax dollars on hotels and travel expenses.
He noted the numerous awards he has received for the work being done by the sheriff’s office, the most recent of which was the Arizona Capitol Times Leader of the Year in Public Safety Award. “This speaks volumes of what everyone does here. Our department heads are constantly seeking new funding sources and writing grants to obtain equipment. This shows leadership on their part. We’ve created strong partnerships with other agencies and we’ve flourished,” said Clark.
If re-elected, Clark’s plan for the next four years is to continue to build a strong department that effectively serves the needs of the residents and keeps Navajo County safe.
