PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb says his office was promised $150,000 to help pay for the DUI taskforce deputies work every December.
Sheriff Lamb says his office was told by state officials back in August that his office would get the money to help pay overtime to deputies working the extra patrols during the holidays. Lamb says that money hasn’t come in. The Sheriff posted a video on “X” (formally known as Twitter) blasting Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.
Pinal County roads are less safe this holiday season because of Governor Katie Hobbs,” Lamb said. “It is appalling to me that the governor would find it necessary to cut these funds.”
Sheriff Lamb says driving under the influence is something that hits home to him. His son, son’s fiancé and granddaughter were killed in a drunk-driving crash last December in Gilbert.
“I’ve lost loved ones this time of year to DUI so this hits close to my heart,” Lamb said. “Please be responsible this holiday season. Don’t put other people’s families at risk don’t make poor decisions, don’t drink and drive.”
Every year, agencies all over Arizona receive federal funding to help pay for all the DUI patrols during the holidays. The money helps fund some of the costs of overtime instead of agencies using up their own budgets.
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) released a statement about the funding Thursday night.
According to the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), PCSO was on the list to get $150,000, but their status is listed under “decision awaiting.” GOHS did not respond to our requests for clarification on what “decision awaiting” meant.
A spokesman for Governor Hobbs sent us a statement Thursday night after our interview with Sheriff Lamb.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
