Pinal County Chief Deputy Matt Thomas @ Town Hall
SBINSIDER| June 23rd, 2023
Chief Deputy Sheriff Matt Thomas addressed a large crowd at the Desert View Theater Monday the 19th. Thomas who has been a deputy in Pinal for 30 years and plans to retire soon said, ” I have grandkids in Texas and Arkansas that I plan to spend time with in retirement.” In his tenure he has served under 6 different Sheriffs of both political parties and said that current Sheriff Mark Lamb was the best. (Lamb has declared himself a candidate for US Senate in 2024.) Thomas related that he advised Lamb not to run.
Thomas related that the Sheriff and County Attorney Kent Volkmer are working to prevent recidivism by diverting 1st time non-violent offenders to rehabilitation programs. It appears to be working as the Pinal County daily prisoner count has been dropping.
As to the border and its problems, Thomas told us that cartels control all the routes into the US and require a fee for crossing. Human trafficking has become more profitable than drugs in that marijuana has been legalized in many states. Due to the effectiveness of US law enforcement, those trafficker’s have been forced to stay off the main roads, I-10 and I-8 and take Oracle Road up to the Hwy 79 and 77 split and keep northbound to Hwy 60 in Gold Canyon. SaddleBrooke is not impacted other than traffic accidents that occur on Oracle Road due to daily police pursuits of suspects. Due to Biden’s policies, those stopped who are illegal crossers only are turned over to the Border Patrol and then released. Effectively, there is no border. Thomas added with emphasis, that every border patrol member he had encountered were loyal patriots dedicated to protecting our citizens and country.
Thomas related that due to an emphasis on getting Pinal County into the national conversation, the Sheriff’s office ranks #3 nationally in media coverage. NYPD (New York ranks #1).
At present, Pinal County has a shortage of sworn deputies at 240 and employs 167 corrections officers at the County Jail.
