VIDEO: Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio to Send Armed Volunteers to Protect Churches
After being asked by local activist Reverend Jerrett Maupin to provide security outside about 60 churches following the shooting in a South Carolina church, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has decided to send armed posse members and deputies, reports KPNX. "I am the elected sheriff of this county; he (MaupIn) asked me to help and I'm going to help," said Arpaio.
On Thursday morning Rev. Maupin said he contacted the Sheriff after dozens of people called him worried about their safety. "We do have a fear a very real worry, that the incidents that occurred in Charleston can happen here in Phoenix," said Maupin.
MCSO plans to send armed posse members and deputies to patrol the churches and look for anything suspicious in nature. "It's free, I'm the chief law enforcement officer for this county, and we do all types of crimes," said Arpaio.
Few of the churches MCSO will patrol have regular security. Even the bigger ones that do are most often using members of the church. In some cases security members are retired law enforcement but they usually do not carry a gun.
