Maricopa police chief freed from ‘jail’

The chief is free.

Maricopa Police Chief Steve Stahl walked out of a makeshift jail cell Tuesday morning with his hands raised above his head – a gesture signifying that freedom was finally found.

His first words: “Yay!”

It was all in good fun. As part of the city’s push to have residents shop locally, Maricopa’s Economic Development Department created a campaign to remind residents the importance of spending their dollars within the city. During the past three weeks, Stahl has been in “jail.”

At a city council meeting on Oct. 29, Stahl was “detained” for shopping at a Casa Grande Target. Video evidence was presented to council members and residents in attendance. A bail of $100,000 in local purchase receipts was set for the chief.

For the past three weeks, residents have had the choice of uploading their receipts on the city’s website or dropping off receipts at Ace Hardware, Bashas’, City Hall, Fry’s or Walmart.

At around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the city had a tally of $216,321.59. The campaign ends today. Residents can go online until 5 p.m. Volunteers will be at the four business drop-off sites until 3 p.m.

Stahl said when Maricopa residents choose to shop local, they are helping improve services within their community, including public safety.

“That’s direct services to the citizens,” he said.

Stahl spoke to InMaricopa.com while inside his jail cell, which was actually a decorated first-floor conference room at City Hall. City staff created the cell bars by placing black streamers on windows and positioning black PVC pipes in front of an open doorway.

One half of a long, white conference table was strewn with collected receipts. The other half included a blanket, pillow and a food tray with an Uncrustables sandwich.

“It’s not very good food,” Stahl joked. He added that he lost some weight while behind bars.

Stahl was dressed in his police uniform and still carried a gun on his hip – not typical for a prisoner. He also had a laptop computer in the cell. Stahl admitted that too was atypical for an inmate, but said “they want me to work while in jail.”

His jail cell also included a pretend toilet, washbowl and a pinup poster of Rita Hayworth – a decorative detail inspired by the 1994 movie “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Interim City Manager Trisha Sorensen pretended to unlock the jail cell using a golden key.

Prior to setting the chief free, Sorensen said: “I don’t normally visit offenders.”