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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Sat Jun 13th, 2009 04:42 am |
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I am sure there are plenty in Sun City!
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Scroggy
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Posted: Sat Jun 13th, 2009 02:44 am |
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| Hey-Let's not only arm the posse, why not form a Sun City Posse S.W.A.T team? How about a Sun City Posse Anti-terroist team or Sun City Posse Delta Force? I am sure there is an 85 year old Rambo out there somewhere that would be interested.
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christianaz
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Posted: Sun Jun 7th, 2009 04:08 am |
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It is unknown how many people live here that have altimeter's. I know I had a reative where we hid the keys to the car. AZ DMV is giving licenses to those that do not pass their driving exams. I know of a couple of cases of this. One with Macular degeneration and yet they gave that person a license.
So we must drive carefully and be aware as this is not just here in sun city. But we do have our share of drivers that should not be driving.
Don't know the answer but as one family said why did they give this person a license. I found another lady wandering around driving one day. Stopped to help her. She was lost and I know she had Al-timers.
I guess we could get their license number and contact the sheriff. If we all do that we will get some of these people off the road.
Meantime be aware and don't assume everyone driving in Sun City has all their faculties.
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bmw1
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Posted: Sat Jun 6th, 2009 11:15 pm |
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I agree that traffic control is a major issue. The drivers in Sun City basically ignore the law. Anytime you’re out and about you’ll see speeding, stop sign running, ignoring pedestrians, passing on single lane streets, etc. We need the Sheriff to crack down. Sorry if some of the residents lose their insurance and/or license, but I can’t believe that’s the way they drove all their lives back in Minnesota or wherever. What makes them think moving to Sun City gives them the right to drive however they please?
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Wed Jun 3rd, 2009 10:41 pm |
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That may be all true, but we still need increased traffic control in Sun City. Very few individuals drive the posted speed limit any more. Is has gotten much worse in the last two years!
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K2
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Posted: Wed Jun 3rd, 2009 02:15 pm |
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Posse members would be as qualified to carry firearms as regular deputies based on the training received and the ongoing requirements for continued firearms qualification and training. As stated earlier they would not be allowed to draw the firearm unless a regular deputy was present. A trained posse member carrying a firearm would be just as safe, if not safer, than the average citizen carrying a firearm either in the open or concealed.
It would be unwise for anyone to make a traffic stop without being armed. When you stop a vehicle for a traffice violation you do not know that person or their intentions. You are approaching a vehicle in which everything could go bad quickly if the driver or a passenger was fleeing a crime or just didn't like being stopped by an officer (posse members or regular sworn officers). Examples of "routine" traffic stops gone bad are in the news on a regular basis. An officer stopping a vehicle never takes it for granted that the stop will be "routine" but always approaches the vehicle with caution and officer safety in mind.
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SCF
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 11:54 pm |
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Basic uniforms ( pants, shirt, hat, belt, badge, etc ) are supplied.
Additional items can be purchased at your expense, and a reimbursement is earned after completing the minimum 276 hours of service per year. Most Posse members serve well over the minimum hours, but the amount of money earned does not increase. I don't remember exactly, but I think it is about $ 150/year.
That may seem like a lot, but a pair of pants and a shirt at the uniform shot costs well over $ 100.
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 10:40 pm |
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Don't they have to pay for their uniforms and maintenance? I applaud the Sun City Posse volunteers!
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SCF
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 09:36 pm |
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SCWatch
You are correct on all counts:
Deputies obviously go through much more training than Posse. I was just referring to the armed portion of training.
It has always been the individuals choice to seek out the training to be armed.( by the way, they also have to supply their own weapon, body armour, and ammo at their own expense)
The training requirement, the expense, the liability issue, and the fact that there is really no good reason for any Posse member to be armed is what keeps the number of armed Posse so low, mostly just former cops who are used to being armed.
I really think that what the Sheriff has in mind when he says he wants to increase the number of armed Posse members is the posses other than the Sun Cities.
Of the approx 2600 members of the MCSO Posses, the Sun Cities make up less than 400 people. Obviously, not all Posse members are as old and feeble as we are.
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 09:20 pm |
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Well then, case closed! It is my understanding that is what has always been done in Sun City. Or, it is an individual's choice to seek out all that is required to carry.
I do think armed sworn deputies have much more "training" than any Posse member and therefore you can not compare apples to grapes.
Also, why do they need to carry? That question is still unanswered in my opinion. We need more Posse or Deputies to enforce speed limits than anything else. I say that we pay taxes to Maricopa County and should have MCSO here in Sun City as in other areas.
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SCF
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 08:22 pm |
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Let's try this one more time.
Any Posse member who wishes to be armed must go through the exact same process as the sworn deputies. This includes classroom training, live fire instruction and qualification, psychological evaluation and a very rigorous physical activity called weapons retention, in which you have to fight off an instructor who is simulating a crook trying to take away your weapon and use it on you.
No one has suggested that a bunch of 80 year old blind and deaf people in wheelchairs be given guns and set free on the streets of Sun City.
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 06:11 pm |
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The issue is qualifications! Look at the qualifications of the regional pilots who failed to fly their plane; 50 un-necessary deaths.
We can agree to disagree!
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Donnies Auto
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 04:42 pm |
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Paulgro wrote: If qualified and given the proper training I don't see a problem with this.
I'll agree with this 
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Scroggy
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 02:51 pm |
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That is all we need: A bunch of aged Barney Fifes with guns! Who comes up with these off the wall ideas?
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Senior Moment
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 04:33 am |
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How much crime is in Sun City that would require Posse members to carry weapons? I would doubt the need, but would say we could use more Posse and certainly more traffic control because speeding on all streets is a major problem! That does not require weapons in my opinion. 
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 04:21 am |
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And that is? The answer isn't always a gun, especially in wrong hands. That is my point!
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SCF
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Posted: Thu May 14th, 2009 03:03 am |
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| You have just proven my point
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Wed May 13th, 2009 11:48 pm |
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No, but an individual with "older" hearing and sight does! That is what I have seen in Posse cars. You can not dispute that!
By the way, isn't this still a free country where one can express one self?
Last edited on Thu May 14th, 2009 12:41 am by Sun City Watch
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SCF
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Posted: Wed May 13th, 2009 10:53 pm |
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Why would arming these individuals scare you ??
If you have followed any of the news articles regarding this subject, you would see that to be qualified as an armed posse person one must pass the same training as a sworn deputy.
Does having police officers carry guns scare you ?
Only four of about 180 Sun City Posse members are armed, and most of them (the armed ones) are retired police officers. So, as you can see, almost nobody wants to carry a gun. There really is no good reason to arm Posse members. They can't draw the weapon except under the direction of a sworn deputy, and if a deputy is present, he already has a gun
But yes, you really were trying to make fun of "what you have seen in Posse cars"
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Wed May 13th, 2009 10:33 pm |
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The question was whether or not to arm Posse members. I say WHY? Who was making fun? Not I.
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SCF
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Posted: Wed May 13th, 2009 10:04 pm |
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SCWatch -- what was the point of that post ??
Were you making a feeble attempt at humor at the expense of Posse volunteers because they are senior citizens ?
If you live in Sun City you too are a senior citizen.
Someone recently made an attempt to get people to start posting on this forum again. I think the main reason that people stopped posting here was that everything that was said seemed to be negative, nasty, or sarcastic.
The Posse is not the police, and Posse members don't pretend to be cops. They are group of your neighbors who donate their time to do whatever they can to keep Sun City safe, and help their fellow citizens in any way they can.
If you want to make fun of old people, you probably should choose some place other than a retirement community to do it.
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Sun City Watch
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Posted: Wed May 13th, 2009 02:46 am |
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From what I have seen in Posse cars, arming these individuals scares me! Who are they goin shoot besides their partner?
Last edited on Wed May 13th, 2009 10:34 pm by Sun City Watch
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SunCityWestBill
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Posted: Tue May 12th, 2009 04:00 pm |
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I think if questioned and they answered truthfully and confidentially, one might find, there are more then some realize, residents who are have not only a Concealed Weapons Permit for a revolver or pistol, but also a short barreled shotgun for home defense.
Here in Florida, as with other parts of the Country, the trend is for homeowners to get training and practice and a Permit. More and more people who feel they can freely commit a "home invasion" or enter a property unlawfully are being "detained inside the premises" by a judiciously placed shotgun shell by the homeowner who is within his legal rights protecting his property under the "Castle Law".
I am non-violent, but not foolish enough to believe a Police officer will arrive in time to prevent and or capture a criminal in my home after the alarm goes off. To have at least one Posse member per car, armed, properly trained and licensed riding throughout the City at night might be a deterrent, especially if it is known by a potential thief they just might be shot and killed. I can envision a situation occurring in a neighborhood and the word then spreading to stay away, as it is now known people in a particular neighborhood have weapons and will use them to protect themselves and their property.
Do I like it, no, but if they want to play, I will provide the music.Last edited on Tue May 12th, 2009 10:16 pm by SunCityWestBill
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Paulgro
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Posted: Tue May 12th, 2009 07:09 am |
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If qualified and given the proper training I don't see a problem with this.
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RustyBradshaw
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Posted: Mon May 11th, 2009 04:22 pm |
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Editor’s note: Copied below is a story from the Sun City Independent. You can post your opinions by clicking on “Reply.”
By Rusty Bradshaw
Independent Newspapers
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to see more Posse members armed, but residents should not expect to see the Sun City Posse’s armed contingent increase much.
The Sun City Posse has four members qualified to carry firearms on duty. But the group does not actively recruit members to become qualified armed posse members, according to Leta McCormick, Sun City Posse executive officer.
“It is something they are all aware of, especially if they were formerly in law enforcement,” Ms. McCormick said. “But as a general rule, it is not something most Sun City Posse members want to get involved in.”
However, Sun City West’s Posse officials take a different approach. There is an active recruitment to increase the number of armed members, according to DeLoye Rose, Sun City West Posse commander.
“The Sheriff’s plan will not affect us much because we always encourage our members to become QAP,” Mr. Rose said.
The sheriff’s push for more armed posse members is in response to Maricoipa County Board of Supervisors slashing the MCSO budget, according to Mr. Arpaio in a May 6 press release. The cuts resulted in a hiring freeze on deputies and a mandate that all existing deputies take furlough days.
“The public has a desire to help local law enforcement when times are tough,” Mr. Arpaio stated. “I am banking on their generosity of time and energy to help my deputies keep our communities safe.”
MCSO has about 300 of its 2,600 posse members countywide qualified to carry firearms.
One reason Sun City Posse members are generally not interested in firearms qualification is it is a physically demanding task, according to Ms. McCormick.
“It is real physically demanding testing,” Ms. McCormick said. “You would have to be able to take down a 20-year-old.”
The testing is not limited to simply handling and firing a weapon, according to Mr. Rose.
“It is not an easy task to get qualified,” he said. “There is also physical and mental testing, just like going through the police academy.”
However, there are posse members willing to go through the rigors. Mr. Rose said there are three members of his organization waiting to attend the classes and that is in addition to 11 members already qualified.
Ms. McCormick said Sun City Posse officials received no specific directives from MCSO to actively recruit members for the QAP training. Mr. Rose said while his organization does actively recruit for the weapons training, it is not mandatory to serve in the Sun City West Posse.
Qualified armed volunteers must supply their own weapons and graduate from a training class of 160 hours of law enforcement instruction. The coursework includes 60 hours of range shooting practice.
“We are not simply gathering people off the streets, giving them guns and telling them to go out and arrest bad guys,” Mr. Arpaio stated.
However, having qualified armed posse members does provide assistance to sheriff’s deputies, according to Mr. Rose.
“It just adds a little more support to MCSO,” he said.
While a majority of posse members’ duties are routine — such as traffic control, vacation watch and funeral watch — they at times assist in potentially dangerous situations. Such a case happened in Sun City April 30 with an armed robbery at the CVS drugstore at 10720 W. Bell Road, according to MCSO Sgt. Chris Jefferys.
Two men entered the store and went straight to the pharmacy counter. One man pulled a gun from a bag he was carrying, jumped over the counter and filled the bag with prescription drugs. Both men then fled the store in an unknown vehicle. No cash was taken and no one was injured.
“We were dispatched out at 1:28 p.m. and two units were on the scene at 1:30 p.m.,” Mr. Jefferys said.
One of those units included a Sun City Posse member, he explained. Both units arrived after the suspects had made their escape, due to a 10-minute delay in making the call to MCSO by store employees. But had the call gone in earlier, the posse member would have been in a potentially violent situation, according to Mr. Jefferys.
While the suspects made their escape from Sun City, the same evening a similar robbery was attempted in Phoenix and two suspects were apprehended, but were not connected to the Sun City robbery. However, later that night Department of Public Safety officers made a traffic stop on I-17 and a suspect fled the scene and was later caught by police.
“They found items on him that were similar to our armed robbery, so he is a suspect in this case,” Mr. Jefferys said.
Post your opinions in the Public Issues Forum at http://www.newszap.com. News Editor Rusty Bradshaw can be reached at 623-445-2725 or rbradshaw@newszap.com.
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