Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone wants to use dogs, screenings to stop rising jail overdoses

Miguel Torres, Arizona Republic
Updated ·2 min read
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Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone on Tuesday said the county jails' deaths are rising as more people are being held in custody.

Weeks after announcing he wanted to buy airport-style machines to screen his guards in the county lockups to combat drug overdoses, Penzone announced at a Tuesday news conference he now wants to add four drug-sniffing dogs as well.

Growing population and deaths: The jail population rose from 4,000 per day to 6,700 per day over the last two years, according to Penzone. Meanwhile, he reported:

  • The deaths in the jail rose by 12 cases in 2022, with 43 total deaths.

  • Of those, 32 died at a hospital while in the Sheriff's Office custody, and 11 died in jail.

  • Of those deaths, 18 were drug-related, 11 were due to suicide, 11 were considered natural causes, and three were homicides.

  • Penzone claimed that those drug-related death numbers reflected the nation’s problem with drug-related deaths.

”You know, someone asked me, ‘Do you have a problem with drugs in the jail?’ We have a problem with drugs in society,” he said.

Drugs getting in jail: Penzone said they found more than 6 pounds of fentanyl from seizures last year, the highest in the last three years. Recent developments include:

  • In January, deputies arrested a detention guard trying to bring in drugs to the jail after a four-week sting.

  • The arrest led to the Sheriff's Office purchasing body scanners that staff and anyone entering the jail would have to use.

  • Penzone pointed at the initial intake, the first search deputies do of someone entering the jail, as a blind spot, asserting that civil rights protections prevent them from doing body cavity searches.

Monitoring for suicides: Penzone also said they addressed suicides through monitoring and self-reporting.

  • Jailers give inmates smart tablets with educational material on suicide and depression.

  • The tablets also allow for self-reporting if inmates struggle with depression.

  • Inmates also are screened when they enter the jail and are asked questions about their mental health so that medical staff can address individuals experiencing depression.

  • Penzone also said they have an intelligence unit that monitors communication from the tablets for “trigger words” that alert staff to someone who is suicidal.

Reducing custody numbers: Penzone said putting nonviolent misdemeanor offenders in their custody for 72 hours only increases the number of inmates they have to contend with without doing much for the community.

“That doesn't mean that we should give them a pass on their drug addiction. But we should be very thoughtful in how, when, who we incarcerate so that it is solution oriented. The number one solution is protecting our community,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Penzone wants to use dogs, screenings to stop jail overdoses