Governor's Priorities: Keeping Arizonans Safe

Keeping Arizonans Safe

Governor Napolitano’s number one priority is the safety and security of Arizonans. From helping securing our border to keeping violent criminals behind bars, she is leading efforts to protect Arizonans.

To help secure our border, she has:

Deployed the National Guard to assist at the border at federal expense.
Signed legislation to prohibit employers from knowingly employing undocumented immigrants.
Signed nation’s first agreement with ICE to expedite the deportation of undocumented incarcerated undocumented inmates. Nearly 1,000 inmates have been deported in half the typical time, saving 187,000 bed days at a cost avoidance of more than $10 million.
Established a nationally recognized intelligence fusion center. The Arizona Counter-Terrorism Information Center is staffed with more than 200 detectives, special agents, and analysts representing more than 40 state, local and federal agencies including the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Declared a state of emergency along Arizona’s four border counties to increase law enforcement patrols in the most highly-trafficked areas and to provide critical resources to local communities.

To crack down on crime, including border-related crime, the Governor has:

Signed a ‘‘three strikes'' criminal sentencing bill intended to keep violent repeat offenders behind bars.
Secured additional resources for law enforcement. (62% budgetary increase from FY 2003 TO FY 2007)
Implemented new technology that enables police to pinpoint the exact location of calls made from cellular phones, enabling law enforcement to provide help more quickly.
Increased the sentence of a felony in association with a criminal street gang by five years and strengthened resources for gang enforcement and intelligence.
Decreased the number of sex offender absconders by 30% since 2005.
Secured funding for Licence Plate Reader technology to enable law enforcement to identify stolen vehicles.
Increased the penalty for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the United States and for those who smuggle humans into Arizona.
Expanded Arizona’s Fraudulent ID Task Force to catch criminals who are manufacturing fraudulent documents, resulting in more than 1,700 criminal and felony charges and the seizure of more than $1.5 million in assets.
Deployed anti-gang squads known as Gang Intelligence and Immigration Team Enforcement Missions (GIITEMs) to deter violent gang- and border-related crime.

Read more about border security and crime reduction in Governor Napolitano’s 2008 State of the State address.