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Permanent YCSO presence in VOC will deter criminals
Written by Trista Steers MacVittie   
Wednesday, 18 July 2012 00:00

Village of Oak Creek residents commonly joke if they need law enforcement, they’ll call the Sedona Fire District.

An unincorporated community, the Village relies on the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office for policing services.

Sedona Red Rock News Managing Editor Trista Steers MacVittieIt isn’t that YCSO does a bad job.

Wonderful, dedicated individuals serve as deputies for the office.

The size and terrain of Yavapai County is the problem.

With a limited number of deputies patrolling large areas, it’s obvious someone can’t always be in the Village.

Apparently, YCSO and residents weren’t the only people smart enough to figure out the chances are slimmer of catching a criminal in a place without its own law enforcement.

Last year a man broke into a Village home assaulting and robbing the homeowners in the early morning hours.

The man was at large for some time, but YCSO eventually caught up with the Cottonwood resident.

This spring, a rash of home burglaries in the Village and Sedona resulted in YCSO stepping up patrols in the area, although those criminals were not caught.

Most recently, two teenage boys went on a car burglary spree.

They weren’t so lucky when a resident called them in, and YCSO happened to be in the area.

Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher saw a community growing in population and hosting thousands of tourists a year and a patrol model not capable of meeting the Village’s law enforcement needs.

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved funding in its fiscal year 2012-13 budget to staff a Village substation with full squad, including a sergeant and four deputies, beginning Sunday, Sept. 2.

The Village isn’t the quiet, Sedona bedroom community a few hundred residents call home anymore.

Thousands live there and that many more visit daily, and now YCSO will be always be there to protect them.

 

Comments  

 
0 #1 Jim Buehler 2012-07-22 10:16
In re: YCSO deploying 5 personnel in the VOC. No one could accuse me of being anything but pro-law enforcement. I have served several agencies over the years, including YCSO. I am the first to voice outrage at gross misappropriation of my tax dollars. Having served in the VOC patrol district for YEARS as a volunteer, I can tell you, this is Mayberry. Sure, we get trail head auto burgs, and the break-ins came in a rash this year. But FIVE salaried employees is a total waste of manpower. The crimes refered to were "after the fact", calling for a report to be written, not action to prevent. Yes, devote 2 deps on an overlaping am/pm, and they will pay for themselves writing speeding tickets. Presence IS a deterrent, but how many calls from the VOC are for "emergency in progress"?
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