The Arizona’s Politics blog has been following the unfolding story of posse vehicles in Maricopa County. Questions began to be asked after Brian Reilly disclosed on this blog that his Cold Case Posse car had county license plates on it, as do all of the many sheriff’s posse cars in the county, and in violation of county policy. It was also discovered that the more than 100 vehicles (except when used in search and rescue operations) are not covered by county insurance. Arizona law requires all vehicles to be registered and to have liability insurance coverage.
This could have been a bad situation in case of an accident, because individual posses, who are separate entities from the Sheriff’s Office, could face serious uncovered liability.
Following my article about the Sun City West Posse ceasing operations with county vehicles, we find that posses across the county have all stopped using vehicles with county plates until they can register them and get proper insurance.
I never want to be part of the story, but here I think we did a good thing.
Read more:
- How Arpaio’s Obama Birth Certificate Investigation Is Likely Cause Of Current Posse Vehicle Grounding, Insurance Issues – Arizona’s Politics
Update:
- Flash: Posse vehicles back on the road. County policy changed.
More Posse Developments.
http://arizonaspolitics.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-arpaios-obama-birth-certificate.html?m=1
I’m delighted that the media is probing the financial shenanigans of the CCP, and I hope that it will lead to a broadly based official investigation of the shady practices of the CCP.
Well done Doc. 🙂 Nice when things work out for a good cause.
I am imagine that Mike Zullo is not happy now that he can’t drive around the neighborhood with lights flashing and the siren blaring chasing that universe shattering evidence. Bad Doc!
http://arizona.newszap.com/westvalley/130979-114/sheriffs-posses-back-on-the-road
Sounds like they’re back on the road, just changed the policy. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. 😀
Doc should see if he can work out a deal with the Sheriff, Doc will quit poking him and causing unnecessary headaches if Joe ends the faux investigation. I think that’s fair. 😆
How hilarious will it be if a REAL criminal investigation of Mike Zoo Low determines that he hijacked the CCP and corruptingly misused this honorably conceived vestigial arm of the law!
“Okay, gentlemen! We’re going after Obama! I’m not telling you where he is – just follow me! Now, – start your uninsured Crown Vick engines!”
Not that I don’t trust the supervisor or the sheriff but I certainly hope a reporter calls the Risk Management Department and asks them for their take on what was done.
The rules may be different for government entities that self-insure but in the real world I can’t buy insurance on a car you own. What is my insurable interest?
Same with a call to Arizona DMV about how the posse cars are registered and plated.
Now…..if this means the county is acknowledging that it has an interest in the posses (potential liability?) then that is very interesting.
It will be fascinating to watch this develop.
LOL! Wouldn’t it be a kick, if Doc’s article took down the one thing that people like Falcon is pinning all their hopes on?
Wouldn’t be the first time a bug was fixed by changing the documentation, eh Doc?
Didn’t Brian Reilly say they sold two cars to the posses for $1.00 total (50 cents each?)
A wonderfully non-specific explanation they came up with. Failed to address the apparent lack of internal concern over the operation of uninsured vehicles for over a year LOL
I don’t recall the amount but it was minimal.
In any case once the vehicle is retitled to the posse (a non-profit corporation) I would love to see the rationale for how they decided they had an interest in insuring the vehicle.
If they had a lien on it that might make a difference but then it just stays murky.
Posse vehicles are now going to be insured through the MCSO Self Insurance pool, per an article posted on Arizona Daily Star a short while ago. http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/maricopa-county-sheriff-s-posses-back-at-work/article_1c74ffaf-1775-52f2-8e90-f5a6dd81db1c.html
Also, per the Flash article in Dr. C’s update about re-instatement:
“According to the sheriff and Dist. 4 County Supervisor Clint Hickman, the “glitch” in the county’s risk management system was triggered by an incident in an undisclosed posse in which a member was taking a car to a business for service. That caused risk management officials to revert to a 2012 policy saying posse vehicles would not be insured by the county.”
Gee, funny how this “incident” seems to coincide with Brian Reilly discussing the ownership of the vehicles here about three weeks ago, huh? LOL
I agree with you there. Sounds like they fudged on the legalities.
What I don’t understand is how a vehicle could be insured “as long as they are being used for posse business” but not insured when used for other purposes. How does that policy comply with Arizona’s mandatory insurance law? Are they saying that if a posse members stops at a supermarket on his way home and gets into an accident in the parking lot, this “insurance” doesn’t apply?
No donuts and coffee for posse members. They must be full-fledged officers for that privilege.
Rickey:
“Are they saying that if a posse members stops at a supermarket on his way home and gets into an accident in the parking lot, this “insurance” doesn’t apply?”
As I understand it, that is exactly what they are saying. Makes you feel like you’re in the Good Hands of All-State. Not.
Anyone who drives one of these cars without acquiring his own liability insurance is nuts. You can be sure after an accident the victim will sue the driver, the owner of the car, and anyone else. And in the case of any ambiguity, County counsel will be trying to prove that the car was not on official business.
Unsworn untrained gun toting volunteers. Wearing sheriff’s uniforms and driving marked patrol vehicles with sirens and lights. What could possibly go wrong?
Joe Arpaio’s vigilante posse is a catastrophe waiting to happen. And one that will deplete the coffers of Maricopa County when the inevitable occurs,
Insurance on the vehicles is one problem. And the County has now swept that one under the rug. But the exposure exists to the County and the safety of its citizens is being put in jeopardy so that some old man’s fantasies can be fulfilled.
One only needs to look at Uber, Lyft, etc. to know that when tragedy happens, all fingers will be pointed at the driver.
Oh, I’m sure it means that these vehicles will be parked at county property when not in use, and that Posse people will drive a personal vehicle to and from home. That is, no personal use of county vehicles.
Unless they are also carrying private insurance. And I am sure the posses will be strictly enforcing this newfound respect for insurance.
Yep
This is a good development. It’s crazy that these guys had government plates, lights, the whole thing.
I wonder if stories will come forward of these yahoos impersonating LEO’s and stopping people.
““The Posse is back in action, and I want to thank Dr. Conspiracy for bringing this act of utter negligence and incompetence to light,” Sheriff Joe Arpaio said during a press conference at Sun City Posse headquarters, 10861 W. Sunland Drive, this afternoon.”
FIFSJ