So if your uh garden host gets stolen and you want to make a phone report, I’m handling those currently.

Does that is that feel demeaning? I mean, with all the experience you have, I’m the first and only sergeant in the history of our department ever working that position.

And it’s normally reserved for injured deputies so they can still uh work while they’re recovering from their injuries.

So I’ve covered, you know, I’ve I’ve interviewed unions before like with a lot of different things.

Um and sometimes a lot of times the unions don’t like the boss.

Yes, sir.

You know, or it’s about pay.

Um so that’s not uncommon, but is this different, do you think, than other places where the unions always seem to have some kind of issue, you know what I mean? Yes, sir.

Yeah.

Um I I agree.

And often times you do hear of unions are always um lobbying for increased pay and certainly we we lobby for that as well.

Um but no one came to the Pum County Sheriff’s Department because they were going to get paid the most.

Uh however, you know, I have a theory that you can either treat u pay your employees poorly or treat them poorly, but you can’t do both and expect them to stick around.

And that’s where we’re at.

And and our our uh push back against leadership inside this department, I believe, is a large reason why we’ve grown so quickly.

Uh like I said, we started in 2023 uh from nothing and we’re already now representing um nearly the entire uh commission side of the department.

The other thing I found covering sheriff’s offices around the country is you know sheriffs have a lot of power.

I mean they’re elected certainly.

Um so sometimes or many times the deputies love the sheriff.

It’s like the opposite of what you’re saying.

And even though maybe they don’t get paid as much as they should or as much as they want, like the sheriffs have their back.

Yes.

And it’s different than working for a police department where there’s a city council and they almost, you know, the sheriff really protects the deputies.

Yes, sir.

But I guess that’s not the case here.

No.

And it’s it’s pretty unusual.

Um, but it is around here.

I mean, I’ve interviewed some other sheriffs.

It it seems like other sheriffs are really liked.

Yes, sir.

Uh, in the counties that that uh are next to us, uh, their sheriffs, uh, are very popular.

Panel County is a great example.

They’re directly to our north and and their deputies adore their sheriff from my understanding.

Um ours ours uh is is different because of how he runs the department and the retaliation that that they um that they do to the deputies that that speak up or even perceived to be against Nanos or even he heard them say something against him.

Um because of that we had um a couple dozen of them protest with me against the sheriff during the last race and I am unaware of any other instance where deputies protested against their sheriff for an election race.

Um but it happened last time.

Um but it wasn’t without risk and fear.

A lot of those guys did it while wearing masks um just to protect themselves uh from from retaliation.

Yeah, that’s unusual, huh? It is.

Um this the the situation inside this department I would describe is is very unusual.

So the whole world is watching now uh because of Nancy Guthrie.

Um I mean do you think all of these issues that you’ve described have had an impact on the investigation? 100%.

100%.

the the experience level inside uh our C.

Like I said, they are hardworking people, but everybody needs mentors and you know, I I cannot imagine starting as a new deputy or when I was in as a detective and not having mentors to help me out.

Uh you need that.

Um they make you better and uh when you have questions or when you have a high-profile case, they’re the ones that you want to go to.

Um, but I from what I understand, what I’m being told, there’s there’s not a lot of that right now.

Um, like I said, we have a we we’re a very young department.

Um, 45% of our commissioned deputies and detectives have less than 5 years on.

Um, we’re very young um because of this turnover and it’s having a real impact and when we need that expertise, that seniority the most during high-profile incidents like this, um, they’re they’re they’re simply not there.

So, uh, it I I believe it it is having an impact.

Couldn’t the sheriff have said in the beginning, look, this is a complicated case.

Even the the the the FBI experts around the country have said, “We’ve never even seen anything like this.

” I mean, they’ve never seen a case, a kidnapping like this.

Couldn’t he have said, “We’re going to hand this over to the FBI because like this needs Yeah.

another level of expertise.

” I don’t I don’t think that would have made him look bad.

They could have still helped and assisted and been a part of it.

I agree.

I think the right decision and there’s also different aspects of this as well.

By by deciding early to turn this over to the FBI and us take a supportive role to them.

I think it would have been the best decision in my opinion u for the Guthrie family, but also for our detectives and Puma County citizens.

Like from what I understand, the entirety of C is being tasked with helping on this case.

All of them.

they still have other cases that aren’t being worked as well as they could be.

Um, and the bad guys aren’t giving us a break because we’re working this case hoping to find Nancy.

The the calls and the crimes are still coming in.

They’re still happening.

So, these cases are getting put on the back burner uh from what they otherwise would be if if this was turned over to the FBI who could use their massive assets uh resources and personnel to work it with us in an assisting role.

And then we could also then go back to a normal order of business to some extent and work some of these other cases that are happening in Puma County.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Is there anything else I’m leaving out that you think is important that people should know? I mean, because again, you’re in a unique role where you can speak, right? And we have a hard time, you know, getting information out because people will get in trouble.

Yes.

And that that fear is real.

The fear is very real.

Um because they know what would happen.

Um, again, I just want to reiterate that our detectives, they are busting their butt to try and solve this case and find Nancy and try and bring her home, hopefully safe to her family.

Um, they’re they’re putting in tons of hours and and burning the candle at both ends.

And so, I’ I’d just really like to take the opportunity to thank them for all their hard work.

Um, they’re great guys and uh we’d like to uh just convey to everybody that that please don’t hold us accountable for some of the decisions made by our leaders.

uh were trial.

Great.

Thank you, sir.

Appreciate very much.

Thank you.

I really appreciate Sergeant Cross for talking with me.

Um and I’m gonna stay in touch with him.

And it’s it’s interesting kind of getting the backstory of what’s been going on according to him at the sheriff’s office.

Uh cuz you know, I don’t I haven’t covered like Puma County before.

So, I just kind of came in to cover Nancy Guthrie.

And it’s interesting how it’s kind of opened the door and opened, you know, opened like a window into a look of what has been happening with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, what sounds like for years, at least according to many of the people who I’ve uh been talking to.

So uh again, appreciate Sergeant Cross for talking with me.

I’m going to stay obviously on the story.

I’m not going anywhere.

I’m hoping I’m hoping that things are starting to move and I’m there have been times since I’ve been here for the last two weeks that I felt like we were at a standstill and there have been times that I felt like things were starting to move around and I’m getting that feeling now that we may be getting closer to a resolution here.

And the reason I say that is because of the SWAT raids.

And again, the the one on Friday night, there was a federal search warrant signed by a federal judge.

they don’t just sign those things without some kind of um meat on the bone.

So, the fact that that happened and granted they could clear all those people, they could clear that guy.

I don’t know.

That seems like they cleared the guy uh near the Mexico border the other night, Carlos.

So, we’ll see.

But but but the totality of everything that DNA coming in from inside NY’s house and then DNA from the glove.

Um and that’s just what we know about.

I can promise you there’s probably so much that we don’t know about that the FBI has and that the Puma County Sheriff’s Office has.

So, my hope is that over the next couple of days, we’re really going to see some movement here.

And God, it would be amazing if um if Nancy Guthrie uh came home alive and my heart goes out to her family, to Savannah Guthrie, and I’ll just keep covering it.

So, appreciate you guys um for for following me, for subscribing, and I’ll talk to you guys later.

 

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