New sheriff says he wants to move the needle on racial profiling lawsuit reforms

Recently appointed Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner wants to advance initiatives related to the agency's compliance with court-ordered reforms, he said Tuesday in a news conference, his first since stepping into the role.

"I'm committed to making sure that we continue to move the needle forward with the requirements of that court order," Skinner said of mandates stemming from a racial profiling lawsuit.

He said he recently had a productive meeting with the court-appointed monitor and pledged to keep open lines of communication with the monitoring team, the judge and the case's community advisory board.

"I have faith in the process that we need to move forward and be reformed," Skinner said.

The Melendres case began in 2008 when Latino drivers sued the Maricopa Sheriff's Office under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, alleging they were racially profiled. U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow agreed and, in 2013, issued his first order mandating court oversight over the sheriff's office.

Since then, Snow has issued two more orders with additional mandates to reform the Sheriff's Office to weed out racial profiling, although ongoing traffic stop surveys have continued to show racial disparities.

Sheriff Paul Penzone inherited the lawsuit and its resulting mandates when he took office in 2017 after ousting Arpaio. Penzone said the continued judicial oversight was hampering his ability to tackle what he perceived to be more important public safety issues.

"When I have more people investigating internal affairs and compliance issues than I do crimes in our community, something's wrong," Penzone said before leaving office.

Both Penzone and Arpaio were found to be in civil contempt for failing to comply with the court orders. Skinner said he understands the court orders well because he was previously in charge of compliance.

Newly appointed sheriff: 'This agency means a lot to me'

Skinner served as chief deputy of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office from 2018 until he was appointed sheriff.

A longtime Republican, he switched his party affiliation on Oct. 3, 2023, one day after former Sheriff Paul Penzone, a Democrat, announced he would step down so that he could seek appointment by the county's board of supervisors.

State law requires the board to replace officeholders who leave office early with an appointee of the same party. The board chose Skinner with a 4-to-1 party-line vote, with the Republican supervisors voting in his favor.

On Tuesday, he said he was "humbled and honored" to lead the department.

"This agency means a lot to me," Skinner said. He is a second-generation employee of the sheriff's office and has worked there since May 1990, according to the sheriff's office.

Skinner has joined a group of candidates who have filed statements of interest to run in the primary election for sheriff. He filed as a Democrat.

Many friends and colleagues encouraged him to pursue the office, he said. Skinner said he thought he would regret it if he hadn't sought the leadership role at the agency where he devoted his whole career.

"This is not a political job, at least in my eyes," Skinner said. "I'm here to be qualified as a law enforcement professional to lead this agency in the right direction. It doesn't matter what political party I'm from or what I'm affiliated with."

Skinner is eligible to run for two terms but said he hopes to only be in the role for another four years.

Saying he had entered the race late, Skinner expressed concern over being able to gather enough signatures to make the primary ballot.

"I don't even know how to run a campaign, to be honest with you," Skinner said.

The minimum number of voter signatures required for a sheriff candidate to get on a primary ballot is 4,225 for Republicans and 3,905 for Democrats. All the necessary nomination paperwork is due by close of business on April 1, according to the Maricopa County Elections Department.

The primary election is July 30. It was scheduled for Aug. 6, but a new state law pushed the primary a week earlier to give county officials more time to deal with potential recounts.

Skinner names Sheriff's Office's first Hispanic female chief deputy

Skinner announced the selection of his new chief deputy, Stephanie Molina.

Molina would be the first Hispanic female chief deputy in the history of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Skinner said. Her appointment is pending approval by the county's board of supervisors.

"She has over 30 years of experience with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office," Skinner said. "She worked in investigations, spent quite a bit of time in the compliance area, and I feel she's a very good fit."

Skinner said Molina had been a good representative of the sheriff's office in the community and is highly respected for her leadership.

During Tuesday's news conference, Skinner also pledged to focus on election security and work on increasing staffing. He expressed a desire to expand the agency's use of volunteer posses.

Skinner also said he was interested in bringing back the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, commonly called D.A.R.E. Skinner at one point worked as a D.A.R.E. Officer, according to the sheriff's office.

The school-based D.A.R.E. program, led by law enforcement officers, was widely used in the 1980s and 90s but proved ineffective. A revised version of the program still exists, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs.

Arizona Republic reporter Rafael Carranza contributed to this story.Have a news tip on the sheriff's appointment process, the sheriff's election, or Maricopa County jails? Reach the reporter at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or 812-243-5582. Follow him on X: @JimmyJenkins.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New sheriff says he wants to move needle on racial profiling reforms