Maricopa Police Department goes to second shift Oct. 1

The Maricopa Police Department continues to take steps forward in its growing process.

As of Monday, Oct. 1, the department will take on another shift (3 p.m. to 1 a.m.), having now taken over two shifts from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). The MPD has been patrolling from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. since the beginning of July.

“Sheriff Vasquez and his staff have been remarkable and have gone beyond the call of duty to assist us in this endeavor,” Police Chief Patrick Melvin said. “They are providing resources in the form of personnel, but also equipment to make this transition as seamless as possible.”

Melvin added that the city purchasing department, specifically Dennis Kirkland and Patty LaCombe, have done a tremendous job in acquiring the equipment approved by the mayor and council over the summer. “It has been a fantastic, collaborative undertaking by all to allow this to happen, and we look forward to continued professional partnerships,” Melvin remarked.

According to Melvin, as of Sept. 24, the department will have 43 actual employees. “Of those, one is in the academy, five are considered professional staff (non-sworn, non-officer), two are out of state laterals who are waiting to take the Arizona certification equivalency test, and 35 are sworn police personnel,” Melvin noted.

Maricopa police have been busy on local roadways since hitting the streets on July 1.

In numbers released for the week of Sept. 9-15 by Sgt. Willie Payne, the department issued the following citations for that week: Stop signs (22), speeding (92), speed in school zones (7), exceed speed limit more than 20 mph (3), red light violation (2), no drivers license (6), driving on suspended or revoked drivers license (5), expired vehicle registrations (21), mandatory insurance suspension registration (7), no valid insurance (24), seatbelt violations (2), child restraints (1), unsafe turns (3), underage tobacco use (1), drive right side on roadway (8), change of address (4), plates obstruction (2), cracked windshield (5), jaywalking (1).

As for the planned DUI enforcement, there will be specific enforcement to address DUI issues. “We will be partnering with the PCSO, Department of Public Safety, Ak Chin, Gila River and Casa Grande to address DUI issues as part of our county regional task force on holidays and other special occasions,” Melvin said. “These entities have assisted us in the past when we had no MPD officers patrolling in our city. Now that we have officers, we plan to return the favor by assisting our law enforcement family members in our region.”

A new tougher DUI law that just went into effect in Arizona requires first-time DUI offenders to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicle, preventing them from drinking and driving.

The new law also requires 45 days of consecutive jail time for first-time “super extreme” DUI offenders demonstrating a blood-alcohol content of .20 or higher.

Prior to this law change, state law required only repeat drunken drivers or those convicted of extreme or aggravated DUI to use interlock devices.