TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County Supervisors are sending Sheriff Chris Nanos a series of questions. If he fails to answer them in ten business days, they could try to use a state law to remove him.
The questions come from a variety of controversies surrounding the Sheriff.
Supervisors are ordering him to answer questions about whether he lied about his discipline record with El Paso Police when he applied to work with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department many years ago.
The Arizona Republic reported Nanos did not disclose several suspensions and that he resigned from El Paso PD in lieu of being fired.
Nanos is to answer questions about discipline he imposed on Lieutenant Heather Lappin and Sergeant Aaron Cross. Lappin ran against Nanos for Sheriff. Cross leads the deputies union and has been a frequent Nanos critic.
Supervisors want Nanos to answer questions about his department's relations with Federal immigration enforcement. His stated policy is that deputies are not to help Border Patrol with immigration enforcement. There are allegations that Deputies have assisted Border Patrol.
Supervisors also want Nanos to answer questions about why the Sheriff Dept has exceeded its budget and how Nanos will address budget issues in the future.
Before Supervisors prepared the specific list of questions, Sheriff Nanos said he will answer the questions the Supervisors send. The state law Supervisors are using allows them to remove a County official who fails to answer their questions. The law does not clearly say Supervisors can remove someone if they are unhappy with the answers they get.
After the Supervisors’ action, Sheriff Nanos office released the following statement.
“Currently, Sheriff Chris Nanos has not received any questions from the Pima County Board of Supervisors pursuant to A.R.S. § 11-253 regarding these concerns.
Upon receipt of any such questions, the Sheriff will respond within the appropriate time allowed.”
THE LETTER AND THE LAW
Read on to see the full text of the questions Pima Supervisors want Sheriff Nanos to answer. You can also read the full text of the Arizona law behind the Board of Supervisors’ demand.
THE LETTER:
Recent public reporting has raised questions concerning several matters involving the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Accordingly, pursuant to A.R.S. 11-253, the Board requests a report from Sheriff Nanos addressing the facts and circumstances related to each of the following matters, together with any corrective actions taken to date, any additional actions proposed, and a timeline for implementation where applicable:
1. Prior representations regarding your employment history with the El Paso Police Department, including:(a) the circumstances of your departure,(b) the dates of your employment as reflected in application materials, résumés, and prior testimony with Pima County, and(c) any prior disciplinary history, including suspensions.For this matter, please also identify whether any inaccuracies or omissions occurred, and what steps, if any, you will take to address the matter, restore public confidence, and ensure the accuracy and completeness of your official background and employment representations in the future.
2. The disciplinary actions involving former Pima County Sheriff candidate Lt. Heather Lapin and union leader Sgt. Aaron Cross, including the process, standards, and considerations applied in those matters.For this matter, please also identify whether existing policies, procedures, and supervisory practices adequately safeguard impartiality and consistency in disciplinary decisions, and describe any steps you will take to clarify standards, strengthen review processes, and prevent the appearance of retaliatory or uneven enforcement in future matters involving employees engaged in protected or political activities.
3. The nature and extent of communications or coordination between the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and federal immigration officials since 2021, including how those interactions align with the department’s stated policies and public representations. For this matter, please also describe any written policies and procedures currently governing such interactions, whether those policies have been followed consistently, and what steps, if any, you will take to clarify departmental guidance and public communication on this issue going forward.
4. There have been repeated instances where the Board of Supervisors has been informed by the Finance Department that your department would exceed its budget. Please describe how and why prior department expenditures have exceeded your budget and what you have done to address budgetary issues in forthcoming budget cycles.
THE LAW:
ARS (Arizona Revised Statutes) 11-253. Reports and bonds of county officers
A. The board may require any county officer to make reports under oath on any matter connected with the duties of his office, and may require the officer to give such bonds or further bonds as may be necessary for the faithful performance of his respective duties. An officer who neglects or refuses to make the report, or to give the bond within ten days after being so required, may be removed from office by the board and the office declared vacant. The board may then fill the vacancy.
B. Every officer from whom an additional bond is required by the board may appeal from the order to the superior court, which shall determine and fix the amount of the bond. The appeal may be taken by filing with the board a notice of appeal, and thereupon the clerk shall certify all proceedings to the court.
——-
Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
