Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is sending his armed citizen posse into shopping malls to help keep shoppers secure from criminal and terror attack during the Christmas season.
Sheriff Arpaio has done this since 1993, but this year the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) stresses that “worldwide terror alerts and violent attacks” make the role of the posse even more important.
According to an MCSO press release, Sheriff Arpaio said:
We have to undertake and deal with these threats as an entire community in order to best safeguard the public. The first line of defense is of course law enforcement, and that includes the posse, which has proved itself again and again a most valuable and successful resource through the years.
But Sheriff Joe also highlighted the important roll concealed carry permit holders will play in Maricopa County:
The volunteer posse can’t do it alone, so with nearly 250,000 Arizonans carrying concealed weapons, terrorists with evil intent entering large gatherings, including shopping malls, should be worried about armed citizens who will be ready to defend themselves and others.
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