Joe Arpaio, the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona announced that he is requiring all of his deputies to carry AR-15 rifles at all times.
Arpaio, who made the announcement on Thursday, expects deputies to use the weapons to fight crime even on their day off.
“While this decision may seem controversial to some in the public and among other law enforcement agencies, I have extreme confidence in the training and professionalism of the men and women deputies in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. I want all my deputies to be armed with the greatest firepower available 24 hours a day,” Arpaio said, according to AZ Family.
The decision came after two of his deputies died under violent circumstances and another was shot numerous times and survived.
According to the Huffington Post, officer Jorge Vargas, 27, of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, died earlier this week. He was shot in the driveway of his home. Arpaio is still searching for his colleague’s killer.
“Right now the main mission is to find this guy and get him in jail,” Arpaio said during a press conference on Vargas’s death.
Hmm…is this for officer and citizen safety, or for Arpaio’s own reasons? Discuss…
Source: Huffington Post
