Category Archives: Coconino County

Community Emergency Response Team Training offered in Page

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coco-sheriff-300pxPAGE — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Emergency Management Division will present a three-day Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training class in Page. The training will be held at the Page Public Safety Facility located at 808 Coppermine Road. More than fifty CERT classes have been delivered to urban, rural and reservation communities throughout Coconino County.

The class will be conducted on Friday, May 29, 2015 from 6 pm to 9 pm, Saturday, May 30, 2015 from 8 am to 5 pm and Sunday May 31, 2015 from 8 am to 5 pm. This training session is offered to all community members free of charge.

CERT Classes are offered by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and upon successful completion each participant will receive a Community Emergency Response Basic Certification and a back pack containing basic community emergency first responder gear.

Successful participants who wish to serve their community will be invited to join a team in Coconino County and will receive additional in-service training. They will assist their local First Responders during Emergency and Non-Emergency events. CERT Team members in Flagstaff meet monthly for additional training.

CERT Volunteers have been utilized during responses to Wild Land Fires, Flooding, Tornados, Heavy Snow Storms and many other natural disasters. CERT Volunteers have served in a variety of capacities to include staffing road blocks, assisting with neighborhood evacuation notification, staffing joint information call centers, assisting with Incident Command Centers, distributing neighborhood safety information and in many other areas.

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services may not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failure, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate lifesaving and life sustaining needs.

Community members who would like additional information or who wish to register for the basic training that will be conducted in Page, AZ are encouraged to call the Community Programs Office of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5089 or Lieutenant Bret Axlund at (928) 679-8705.

Stand Down a success despite the weather

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Arizona Veterans Standdown Alliance photo.

Arizona Veterans Standdown Alliance photo.

FLAGSTAFF — The third High Country Stand Down at the Flagstaff National Guard Armory seems to have been a success. Despite the weather, District 4 Supervisor Mandy Metzger said that about 125 veterans came through the door just after opening. The event is organized by Philan Tree, assistant to Mandy.

The High Country Stand Down is a branch of the larger Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance (Facebook). For the last three years the High Country Stand Down has been growing.

The event this year is dedicated to Flagstaff Marine Lance Davison, who suffered from PTSD and traumatic brain injury and took his own life in February 2014. Davison is one of the roughly 22 veterans who commit suicide in this country each day, or one every 65 minutes, according to a 2013 study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Stand Down is a collection of services and gifts for homeless veterans and veterans in need. The tables and services all reflect the services available to veterans all year around.

Some of the services, such as the pet care provided at the event, are not just for veterans. Aspen Veterinary Clinic provided check-ups and medical services for pets. The Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic of Flagstaff gave free vaccines. Many of the local veterans seemed to be taking advantage of this service. One family brought in two dogs and about five cats to be vaccinated.

Another service that anyone who resided in Coconino County should be aware of, and take advantage of, is the Downwinder’s Program. The North Count Healthcare system presented their radiation exposure screening and education (RESEP) program. If you lived in Coconino County—and other certain areas of Nevada, Utah or Arizona—from 1959 to 1962, you may be eligible for compensation due to the nuclear weapons testing in Nevada. The Northern Arizona Health Care system provides free screening for people who lived in those regions during that period for cancer and other anomalies that might have been a result of those tests. They even help you file the paperwork.

Northern Arizona University provided dental technicians for dental screening and to assist veterans in filing paperwork for dental work needed.
StandDown-15-05-15-04
The Salvation Army provided hamburgers, hotdogs and chips for the event. They also gave out sack lunches.

One important feature of the event for the last two-years was the Veterans Court. The Veterans Court is called a therapeutic court in the legal system and is available to veterans all year round. This special court was set up at the event solely to quash pending warrants and allow veterans to get their cases moving in the Veterans Court system. This is not the way the normal court works.

Judge Cathleen Nichols, of Coconino Superior Court Division 5, is the coordinator for the Veterans Court. There are two other therapeutic courts for DUIs and mental health issues which work in similar fashion.

Judge Nichols explained that in the normal course of an arrest, the fact that a defendant is a veteran may enter into the paperwork. If it does not, the veteran may identify himself. Self-identification does require the veteran to prove service, such as a DD-214 or retired identification card. This is particularly useful in misdemeanor cases where a defendant is usually not represented by a lawyer.

Once a veteran is identified, the case is reviewed by the office of the County Attorney to see if they can allow it to be referred to the Veterans Court. The attorney of the defendant is also consulted if he has one. It is up to the defendant to decide if they choose to take this course. It does not allow the veteran to “get away” with anything. The veteran will have to agree to probation with all that entails. They may also be required to attend certain classes or programs and report their progress to the court.

Judge Nichols pointed out two unusual features of this therapeutic court in the Coconino County Superior Court system. First is that the veteran does not necessarily have to have an honorable discharge. A person with a convenience of the government or other type discharge may be considered for the Veterans Court. The second feature is that this is the only court system in the State that currently considers felony cases.

The High Country Stand Down also provided back packs stocked with sleeping bags and hygiene kits. They also provided new shoes and the Goodwill Industries provided free clothing for the homeless veterans.

Any organization or corporation which may be able to provide services or products to veterans may participate in the program. To be involved in the Fourth Annual High Country Stand Down, contact Philan Tree at the office of Mandy Metzger at 928-679-7154. For other areas you can consult the Arizona Stand Down Alliance web site.

Multi-Agency Response to Injured Hiker in the Area of West Clear Creek

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FLAGSTAFF — On May 10th at approximately 2:30 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit responded to a report of an injured hiker in West Clear Creek. The adult male victim was believed to have a broken leg and was in need of rescue.

The Blue Ridge resident deputy sheriff and the Pine-Strawberry Fire District responded and requested Search and Rescue. The Search and Rescue team responded for a litter carry. Given the time of day and the conditions in the bottom of West Clear Creek it was determined that a helicopter short-haul rescue would be the safest option.

Arizona Department of Public Safety Central Air Rescue in Phoenix responded to the area and a Coconino County Sheriff’s Office SAR volunteer who is trained as a heli-rescue technician boarded the helicopter and performed heli-rappel into the scene.

Once on scene the SAR heli-rescue technician and Pine-Strawberry Fire District personnel packaged the patient on a backboard and then placed him in a Bauman Bag device for the short-haul. The patient and the SAR heli-rescue technician were then short-hauled out of the canyon to the intersection of State Route 260 and State Route 87 where a ground ambulance was waiting for the patient.

This mission was another good example of interagency coordination among northern Arizona responders and the Department of Public Safety Aviation Bureau.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and US Forest Service Offer Woods Watch Training and Orientation

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Coconino-County-3FLAGSTAFF — Concerns regarding very dry conditions and the impending Wild Land Fire Season are on the minds of many community members who live in cities and unincorporated areas throughout Coconino County. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and the US Forest Service are offering “Woods Watch” training and orientation.

This volunteer program is similar to Neighborhood Watch and is of vital importance in residential areas that interface with forested land. Volunteers are trained to assist local officials in watching for and properly reporting people accessing closed areas or people who are using fire carelessly or against fire restrictions, especially on forested lands.

Woods Watch has been very successful in years past. Volunteers assist Northern Arizona law enforcement officers in watching access points to the forest. By providing additional sets of eyes in our community, Woods Watch Volunteers assist law enforcement officers in keeping unlawful fire activity under check. With the extremely dry and windy conditions our communities often experience, a fire start may spread very quickly endangering lives and property.

This year, we are offering Woods Watch re-certification and new volunteer training on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 6:00 pm at the Law Enforcement Administration Facility located at 911 E. Sawmill Rd. Citizens who have attended this training in previous years are asked to attend again as a review and to receive updated information. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will also provide Woods Watch training to our established volunteer groups such as Search and Rescue, existing Neighborhood Watch Programs, and CERT during their regular meetings. The training takes approximately one hour.

The Woods Watch Program is a commitment to join local law enforcement officers with community members to keep our communities and our forests beautiful, safe and free of wild land fires. For any additional questions or information, please contact Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-226-5089 or Sergeant Margaret Bentzen at 928-556-2300.

Veterans Court not just for Stand Down

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stand-down-1FLAGSTAFF — Tomorrow is the third annual High Country Stand Down organized by Philan Tree—Assistant to Coconino County Supervisor Mandy Metzger. The event will open with the posting of the colors at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.

The services that will be available are numerous. There will be hot meals, hygiene kits, and clothing and survival gear available. Services include notary, dental, vision, medical care and pet food and care.

The services and products are free and available to any veterans that require them.

There will be a special version of Veterans Court held by Judge Cathleen Brown Nichols and Flagstaff Justice of the Peace Howard Grodman. Veterans with warrants for arrest that can be transferred to Veterans Court can have them removed at this special session.

DNA legal services of Flagstaff will be available for consultation at the event.

The Veterans Court is a service of the Coconino Superior Court system and the other judicial courts of Coconino County. It is not just available at the High Country Stand Down. This special court meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Warrants that are transferable to this special court setting may be eliminated at this special court system, but possible penalties are subject to the laws of the State of Arizona.

In an interview with Justice of the Peace Rob Krombeen of the Williams Justice Court, he noted the significant savings to taxpayers to quash outstanding warrants.

Judge Krombeen said, “[W]hen you look at the out-come from a warrant arrest—the police involvement, the detention facility involvement, and then everything else that has to happen to get that defendant back into court—there’s a significant cost.

“In fact, Maricopa County did a study this last year, and through their research down in their county they found that a warrant arrest cost the taxpayer about 793 and some-odd cents. So it’s a significant amount of money per warrant that acutally ends up being closed by arrest. So this is saving, literally, thousands of dollars by getting folks to voluntarily appear and get their cases back underway.”

The special Veterans Court at the Stand Down is empowered to hear cases from all judicial jurisdictions in Coconino County. Veterans can also obtain more information about the Veterans Court system at the Stand Down.

Philan Tree, organizer of the event, said that last year over 200 veterans took advantage of the services last year. She said that there could be as many as 500 this year because the word is getting around about the event.

Local Attorneys Given the Opportunity to Advertise Services in Detention Facility

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FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has developed a unique program by which attorneys are given the opportunity to advertise their services at the Coconino County Detention Facility.

Attorneys who choose to invest in this advertising will be able to reach out to individuals who may be in need of legal services. At the same time, an advertising purchase will assist in funding important programs in the Coconino County Detention Facility to include the Inmate Welfare Fund.

The cost of advertisement displayed in a 14” x 11” space in the detention lobby is $5,000 per year. This works out to a little more than $400 per month which is far cheaper than many other forms of advertising. The cost includes the cost of printing a color poster of personalized advertisement and the acrylic display frame with a holder for business cards.

The advertisements in the lobby can assist individuals coming into the jail lobby in connecting with legal assistance. All moneys generated from renting an advertisement space will go to the Inmate Welfare Fund which supports important programs such as Exodus (our in-custody drug and alcohol treatment program), re-entry programs, and other services that directly benefit our inmate population.

Is there snow in your future?

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20121214flagFLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS — The long-rage weather forecast shows a slight chance of rain and snow on Wednesday for Williams and Flagstaff. There is another chance next Sunday. Little or no accumulation is expected.

Otherwise temperatures will hang between 50 and 60 during the day with temperatures just above 20s at night.

There is a hazardous wind advisory for tomorrow for Apache, Coconino, Northern Gila, Navajo and Yavapai counties. Wind gusts of 40 miles-per-hour are expected across Coconino County.

A fire watch will be in effect Monday for the northeast quarter of the State.

Board of Supervisor regular session April 7

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Coconino-County-4FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors meets next Tuesday, April 7 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Board of Supervisors First Floor Meeting Room, 219 E. Cherry Ave, Flagstaff.

They remind you that if you are carrying electronic devices, that they are set to silence before the meeting begins.

Some highlights of the meeting include:

  • Approve the request to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to designate Coconino County as a Local Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Area under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
  • Approve the appointment of John Lamb as Justice of the Peace Pro Tempore for Coconino County, February 9, 2015, through June 30, 2015, on an as-needed basis.
  • Approve the renewal of the contract with GPS Monitoring Solutions for an additional one (1) year term to provide home detention, electronic monitoring and continuous alcohol monitoring of clients in all four (4) Justice Courts and in Superior Court. The term of the renewal is from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
  • Approve the budget amendment and grant award totaling $22,200 from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Program for the term of 4/1/15 – 9/30/15 for drug tests and substance abuse assessments for those clients that are court-ordered and require a thorough assessment for treatment/prevention referrals for Integrated Family Court and DUI/Drug Court.
  • Approve a Grant Award, Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning (HMEP) Grant FFY 2015, Grant Award Agreement Number, HM-HMP-0454-01-00 for the amount of $5700 from the Arizona Emergency Response Commission (AZSERC) and a budget adjustment of $6567.
  • Approve the purchase of two (2) vehicles under Arizona State Contract No. ADSPO12-01667 from San Tan Ford in the amount of $57,546.66.
  • Pass and adopt Flood Control District Resolution 2015-01 authorizing and directing District staff and legal counsel to accept the counter offer made by the Defendants in settlement of Cause Number CV 2014-00390, and to execute any documents that may be necessary to carry out the purpose of the resolution.

Brief Agenda (PDF)

Fleas Test Positive for Plague in Picture Canyon

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640px-HookeFlea01FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD) officials confirmed that fleas collected in Picture Canyon, a popular hiking area located in northeast Flagstaff, tested positive for plague (Yersinia pestis).

Picture Canyon is located east of Highway 89 North, and north of Interstate 40 and Old Route 66.

The tests were recently conducted by the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at Northern Arizona University.

CCPHSD Environmental Health staff collects and tests flea samples from locations throughout the County. The recent samples were collected from burrows located along the Picture Canyon hiking trails. Visitors to the area are asked to avoid rodent burrows and keep dogs on a leash as required by Arizona State law.

The CCPHSD and the City of Flagstaff have notified nearby residents of the situation and posted signage at the trailheads. The burrows are being treated and the area will be closely monitored to determine if further action is required.

This positive test is the first evidence of plague activity reported in the County this year. While this is the only location within the County where the plague has been confirmed, the disease is endemic to areas throughout the County and may be more widespread.

The CCPHSD is urging the public to take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to this serious disease, which can be present in rodents, rabbits, and sometimes predators that feed upon these animals. The disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected flea or by direct contact with an infected animal.

Symptoms in humans generally appear within two to six days following exposure and include the following: fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain, and swollen lymph glands (called “buboes”) in the groin, armpits, or limbs. The disease can become septicemic (spreading throughout the bloodstream) and/or pneumonic (affecting the lungs), but is curable with proper antibiotic therapy if diagnosed and treated early.

Additional Information: PDF

Coconino County Board of Supervisors meet tomorrow in support of illegal immigration

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300-illegal-alienFLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will be conducting a special executive session (PDF) tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the first floor board room in Flagstaff. The location is 219 E. Cherry Avenue.

In this session the Board of Supervisors will discuss the possibility of filing an amicus brief in support of President Obama and the defendants in Texas v. United States, No. 1:14-cv-254 (PDF). This is case in which a Texas federal judge ordered a cease to executive orders stopping deportation of illegal aliens. The case is in the 5th Circuit Court while Arizona is part of the 9th Circuit Court.

The session is an executive session, which means there will be no discussion allowed by the public.

Texas and 13 other States and several governors have filed suit against the United States representatives who have decided not to enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress.