The Santa Catalina Volunteer Patrol is back on duty following a temporary suspension put in place due to public contact disputes.
An “all clear” to return to duty was issued at 3 p.m. Sunday by Santa Catalina Volunteer Patrol President Mark Wright.
“We are excited to be back doing the ‘job’ we love,” Wright said in a written statement provided to the Arizona Daily Star.
According to Wright, the volunteer patrollers, who work in Sabino Canyon and throughout the Santa Catalinas, previously were trained on how to interact with visitors who were found to be breaking Forest Service rules, such as dogs in the front range (banned to protect desert bighorn sheep) and no bicycles in Sabino when shuttles are running.
They were trained to “inform but not enforce,” Wright said.
“Unfortunately, we have had incidents where patrollers were met with aggressive responses from visitors and even bites from dogs,” Wright stated. Forest Service officials “felt that … a patroller engaging such individuals, is potentially at serious risk for injury.”
The Forest Service also interpreted engaging with violators as “enforcement regardless of the intent to inform only,” Wright continued. “SCVP members are not trained in de-escalation techniques should a confrontation arise.”
Some visitor complaints to the Forest Service about patrollers also indicated some well-meaning volunteers might be violating agency policy on interacting with the public. One example offered to the Star by a former patroller was an instance where a visitor was confronted more than once by different patrollers during a visit to Sabino and complained of being harassed.
Hearing these concerns, the volunteer patrol board decided on Jan. 9 to temporarily suspend activities and arrange for training updates for all members, Wright said. Patrollers were also asked to sign updated forms covering duties and responsibilities “including activity we are not to engage in,” potential job hazards and “anti-harassment” policies required of all employees and affiliated groups from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service’s parent agency.
These standard but updated forms came down from the federal government, not the local district. A patroller who also volunteers at Saguaro National Park had to fill out similar forms, Wright said.
Starr Farrell, Coronado Public Affairs Officer, said last Friday that the issue was not what the patrollers were doing but “how you go about doing it.” She said training covered conflict resolution and de-escalating situations.
Can volunteers still inform? “They are asked to share information but not address infractions or engage in law enforcement,” Farrell said. Volunteers should report violations “to law enforcement or the local forest protection officer,” she added. “This group is in uniform, there’s a higher standard.”
Patrollers wear a Forest Service uniform but have a volunteer patch instead of a badge.
Wright said his group deploys 20-40 patrollers at different times of the day. “We ask for extra help on weekends and holidays.” He estimated the group size around 180 people. Volunteers choose where they wish to patrol, including Sabino Canyon, front range trails such as Finger Rock, Ventana and Pima canyons, and Mount Lemmon, mostly in the summer.
Watch: Sabino Canyon is a great spot to cool down or watch the rains come in. Over the years, it has seen Tucsonans come and go for hiking, picnics and scenic rides. Here is a glimpse into Sabino Canyon's past. Video by Pascal Albright/ Arizona Daily Star
