District I, the Round Valley District or Southern District, of the Apache County Sheriff’s Office encompasses the southern end of Apache County. The patrol area consists of approximately 3,360 square miles and includes the communities of Vernon, Green’s Peak Hideaway, White Mountain Acres, Springerville, Eagar, Nutrioso, Alpine, Greer and McNary. The district includes several large cattle ranches and the Springerville Generating Station, which employs several hundred people.

Round Valley District staff includes a commander, a sergeant and six deputies and a department fleet service mechanic.

Deputies in this district respond to calls in northern Greenlee County including Hannigan Meadows Lodge and the Blue River Community. Greenlee County has no officers stationed in these areas and their response time is several hours from their nearest office in Clifton.

Due to an extreme growth in the population of the entire area, calls for assistance to these outside areas have increased dramatically over the past few years.

District I patrols a large part of the Apache National Forest Recreation Area. These areas consist of several large lakes; fishing streams, trail systems for ski, bicycle, snowmobile and all terrain vehicles as well as numerous developed and undeveloped campgrounds. The campgrounds alone are filled with several thousand people during the summer months and the U.S. Forest Service is continually developing new areas and facilities to accommodate the rapidly growing number of visitors to the area each year.

Sunrise Ski area attracts several thousand people per day during its busy season. This area accounts for many incident reports and investigations.

Arizona mountain recreation areas have become very popular to vacationers, hikers, skiers, fishermen and hunters from all over the United States. This contributes to an ever-increasing amount of calls for assistance throughout the year, which range from serious felony crimes to routine assistance calls. It is expected that in the years to follow these areas will continually grow in use and popularity.

Deputies in District I actively participate in the search and rescue operations which frequently arise from lost or stranded hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen, children and missing aircraft in areas countywide.

Sheriff’s deputies participate in the Search and Rescue Dive Team and the Special Response Team. Deputies utilize approximately 50 Sheriff’s Posse Search and Rescue members during search functions and assist in the training of these volunteers. These officers also routinely assist the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Personnel, Arizona Game and Fish officers, Arizona Department of Public Safety officers, the local police departments, tribal police and game wardens

District II, the St; Johns District, or the Central District, is located between the Round Valley District (I) and the Northern Districts (III & IV). It covers an area approximately 2300 square miles, which encompasses St. Johns, Concho and approximately 75 subdivisions scattered across its boundaries. Several new subdivisions have caused the area to grow rapidly.

Eight officers serve the area. The district consists of a commander, a sergeant, five field deputies, and a civil deputy. Deputies patrol the area, respond to call-outs, investigate crimes and interact with the public. Deputies are required to work a 40-hour week, but hours are flexible in order to have the best coverage when needed the most.

District II deputies are required to attend several hours of special training each year. Training covers felony stops, DUIs and other procedures. The bottom line for all training is safety, for the officer and for the citizens they serve.

District II often is called to maintain court security for civil and criminal cases if the judge on the case feels added security may be necessary. They also assist whenever there is a disturbance at the Apache County Jail. Most of the deputies in District II are members of the Sheriff’s Special Response Team (SRT).

Deputies in District II work hand-in-hand with the Apache County Sheriff’s Posse, Search & Rescue and the Dive Team. Reserve deputies are part of the security for special functions such as church dances, parades, fund raising programs and other activities.

District II heads up a summer youth program and several summer community relations programs at the Concho Community Center, including a reading program in which deputies participate.

The district also works closely with the other districts whenever necessary. Each deputy is familiar with areas in other districts. They are able to cover calls in these areas in case of an emergency situation. They also work and interact with other agencies in the area.

Approximately 50 miles of Interstate 40 and State Route 264 and approximately 200 miles of U.S. 191 are included in the district, as well as two national parks, six lakes, the Four Corners Monument and several other tourist sites.

Fifteen certified deputies and one civilian community resource liaison serve this part of the county. Duties consist of a wide and varied array of activities.

Crime prevention/investigations are the primary responsibility of the Sheriff’s Office and its deputies. Although not limited to the northern part of the county, educating the young people of the area is a high priority with the northern district’s squad. Through various educational programs, presentations and talking with the youth on the street level, deputies attempt to give them positive options to pursue instead of crime.

Several adult presentations and adult educational programs are offered to citizens in the district. These programs cover issues ranging from recognizing early signs of drug and alcohol abuse among children to domestic violence in the home.

Deputies also assist communities with public relation-type events. They provide security at sports events, school dances and graduation. This service is not limited to school functions. In addition they assist at parades, rodeos, community dances and provide funeral escorts.

Deputies participate in search and rescue missions and provide training for the Apache County Sheriff’s Posse. They spend time at the six different lakes on Navajo Land within the county. This patrol involves safety checks and providing assistance to citizens if needed.

A large majority of the calls that come in for deputies in the Northern District require assisting the Navajo Police Department, the Department of Public Safety, fire and ambulance crews, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the adult and juvenile probation departments within Apache County.

Law enforcement in the Northern District has been made more effective due to the team effort provided by the Sheriff’s Office and offices within the Navajo Nation, including the President’s office, the Public Safety Committee, the Navajo Nation Police Department and others within the community working together to make the district a safer and better place to live.