The three Republican candidates vying to be Pima Countyโs next sheriff all seem to agree on one thing: Democratic Sheriff Chris Nanosโ leadership has led to negative scrutiny on justice in law enforcement and created a toxic work culture in the department.
Republican candidates Heather Lappin, Bill Phillips and Terry Frederick all say the department needs major changes to restore its public reputation and raise the quality of its leadership.
โThe last three plus years have been atrocious,โ said Lappin, a commander at the jail. โTheyโve eliminated any sense of internal procedural justice in our department. Five-to-15-year veterans that have the institutional knowledge, trainings and certifications are leaving because the culture is very toxic.โ
Lappin, who has worked with the sheriffโs department for the last 19 years in several different positions, said that while she wasnโt treated badly for all those years, she has recently had to watch some of the most intelligent people be treated with a bias.
โWhen we lose our humility (and) are entitled, when we think we donโt have to answer to people, thatโs where we get ourselves in trouble. And thatโs whatโs happening,โ said Lappin about the current state of the department, which led her to a priority of โrestoring integrity to the sheriffโs office.โ
โThey make decisions based on ego, power, self-promotion. Itโs not about the people.โ
Lappin started her career in October 2004 when she got hired as a deputy sheriff after working in the jailโs records section. She became a sergeant in April 2015 and a lieutenant in May 2019.
Lappin has held numerous positions in leadership throughout her career, including overseeing training programs and serving as commander of the south and southwest sides as well as Green Valley.
In the campaign, among the criticism launched at Lappin is her handling of finances. She filed for bankruptcy in 2011 after her husbandโs unemployment. Lappin said the criticism is coming in from both Democrats and Republicans, which she said sheโs been told to take pride in.
Phillips served with the sheriffโs department for 31 years until his retirement in 2022. He said the negativity in the department, as well as the decline in public support towards law enforcement, is what inspired him to run for sheriff.
โThereโs a black cloud over the department,โ Phillips said. โWe need to get the respect back for the deputies. Everybody focuses on the negativity, so what happens is no one pays attention to the positive things going on.โ
With prior experience in the Marines and IBM, Phillips was hired to work for the jail in 1990. He became a deputy in 1992. Within his first year, he was on the S.W.A.T. team.
โThe sheriffโs department took a lead role in Southern Arizona,โ said Phillips. โWe run the regional S.W.A.T. team, negotiations team, bombs. So, weโve always taken a strong lead in Pima County. It was a great experience (and) a great department.โ
Phillips, a Tucson native, had a father who was a retired Marine and Air Force veteran while his mother was an elementary school teacher.
โWe need to get back to supporting our law enforcement folks so they can go out and proactively do the job. Thatโs what I want to be able to do,โ said Phillips. โInstead of just responding after something has occurred, we need to get out there and look for crime.โ
Frederick, a former deputy in the department, often speaks about โfive major incidents and countingโ during Nanosโ leadership.
โIโve seen the department deteriorate, and I had several deputies โ former, retired and current โ contact me and ask me to run,โ said Frederick. โI decided to take that step because of the issues that were going on.โ
Among the issues he cites: Nanos appointing a deputy chief who isnโt a commissioned officer and was involved in a controversy of impersonating an officer when he pulled over an individual for reckless driving in 2022.
Also, the termination of correction officers for not being vaccinated, which Frederick said happened at a time when โthe vaccine was not mandated.โ He also cites the controversies of an alleged sexual assault of a deputy by her supervisor and that of a corrections officer charged with shoplifting.
โI plan on holding all the commanders accountable,โ said Frederick. โTo me, taking that oath means you hold everybody accountable equally. I believe that the law, when implemented, is equal across the board.โ
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Frederick, who ran for sheriff and lost in 2012, has had over 35 years of experience in law enforcement. In addition to being the former deputy, he operated a private investigation agency.
Candidate priorities
For Lappin, a top priority is making improvements at the jail.
Addressing substance abuse and mental health among the jail population is critical, said Lappin, saying that two-thirds of the inmates are on psychotropic meds. She also talks about funding at the jail, touching the issue of medical rejections and the need for better health-care resources.
Lappin also talks about her sonโs struggles with addiction.
โMy sonโs addiction literally almost killed me. It was probably the worst thing that ever happened in my life,โ said Lappin, tearing up on her sonโs five-year struggle with substance abuse. โDrug addiction affects so many people and when we share a vulnerability, it helps people open up and heal themselves.โ
Keeping families safe, budget transparency and protecting taxpayers, and improved deputy training and retention are also among Lappinโs priorities.
Among issues that are a priority for Phillips is โcommon sense immigration enforcement,โ as he says Nanos and the sheriff in Santa Cruz County are โhands offโ when it comes to border-related issues.
Phillips says cartel-related crime at the border and human trafficking impact Pima County.
โIf youโre transporting a young girl for prostitution or work, then weโre gonna arrest you (and) charge you with state crimes, serious crimes against children, and put you in prison,โ said Phillips. โWeโre not gonna hand you back to Border Patrol, where you get your hands slapped and sit back across so you can come back again.โ
Phillips also said he would focus on animal cruelty, revitalizing a task force dedicated to the issue. Having been involved with a strong animal cruelty task force as a deputy and a sergeant, Phillips said he is passionate about taking care of animals.
Phillips also said he intends to focus on the more rural areas of the county to give more attention to crimes like drug smuggling, human trafficking and animal fighting. Additionally, he wants to focus on fraud targeting seniors, developing a strong reserve deputy program and operating in a more transparent way.
โIt is my duty to open up the agency and let taxpayers know how the department was spending their money,โ he said.
Candidates discuss leadership qualities
When it comes to leadership, Lappin said she believes itโs important to create a work environment and culture where people arenโt afraid to make mistakes. The point is to acknowledge them, learn from them and better yourself, she said.
In order to have the most constructive working and learning environment, Lappin said sheโs also really good at placing people around her who disagree with her and will provide her with some equally necessary push-back.
โMy talent in leadership is people. I can rally people, Iโm very good at making people wanna be better,โ said Lappin, who could be the first female sheriff not just in Pima County but overall in Arizona if she wins.
Similarly, Phillips said it is important to support deputies. In the event of his officers making mistakes, Phillips said he believes in standing with them, being transparent with the public and owning up to their shortcomings.
โAs far as leadership goes, I think the most important thing is to support your people, have their backs and expect professional conduct from them,โ said Phillips. โWith people, you have to understand what their strengths are and place them in positions so they can utilize those strengths.โ
For Frederick, integrity and respect are crucial to being a good leader. He said having the knowledge of the law and how to implement it, listening to and absorbing information as well as community engagement are key characteristics to being a good leader.
He said people in positions of power, including the highest elected official, are responsible for establishing the culture in the department.
โI donโt dismiss anything, Iโm very approachable and Iโm not judgmental,โ said Frederick on his own strengths as a leader. โIf thereโs an issue, letโs come up with a solution to resolve it.โ
