Arizona Department of Public Safety

Bill Richardson Takes DPS to Task for Baseball-Tickets Scandal and Other Possible Signs of a "Failed Agency"

In a column today in the East Valley Tribune, former police officer Bill Richardson takes the Arizona Department of Public Safety to task for a baseball-ticket scandal and other possible signs of a failed agency. New Times broke the story last December of the investigation into the DPS' former No. ... More >>

Raynaldo Rivera, Alleged LulzSec Hacker, Now Second Valley Man Arrested in Sony Hacking

See also: Alleged LulzSec Hacker Busted in PhoenixSee also: Arizona Department of Public Safety Hacked by LulzSecA second Valley man has been arrested and accused by the feds of hacking into Sony Pictures' computer systems as an alleged member of the hacking group Lulzsec.Raynaldo Rivera, a 20-year- ... More >>

Paul Babeu's Lieutenants Display Poor Judgement -- Apparently a Disease in His Department -- and Get Nominated, Selected for Prestigious FBI Training Program

Pinal County Lieutenant Tamatha Villar was busted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety -- not once or twice, but three times -- for going at least 94 miles per hour in her county-issued car.   She wasn't responding to emergency traffic. On one of those occasions, her 10-year-old son was ... More >>

Video of Cops Chasing Yorkie on Phoenix Freeway Catches International Attention

Image: YouTube, (shot by ABC-15 News)A Department of Public Safety officer chases a terrier on a Valley freeway in a video going somewhat viral today.​ A video of Arizona Department of Public Safety officers chasing a Yorkshire terrier on a Phoenix freeway is making the rounds on the Internet, ... More >>

Alleged LulzSec Hacker Busted in Phoenix; Faces 15 Years in Prison For Hacking Sony Website

LulzsecLulzSec's official mascot​A Phoenix man was arrested this morning for allegedly being a member -- or former member -- of the computer hacking group LulzSec, which claimed responsibility for the security breach of the Arizona Department of Public Safety's computer system earlier this year.Co ... More >>

Arizona Photo-Enforcement Notices Must Now State the Truth: Motorists Have No Duty to Respond or Identify Driver

​ Starting tomorrow, photo-enforcement-violation notices must finally state the truth about what's going on -- namely, that you don't need to respond or identify the driver in the picture.Cities and, for a while, the state of Arizona, have for years employed something of a ruse to help get spe ... More >>

Arizona Department of Public Safety Hacked Again, by "Hackers Without Borders"

The hackers strike DPS again! The officer at the Arizona Department of Public Safety's media line sounded pretty hangdog when I called about the latest hacker attack on DPS's computer system, this time by a LulzSec spin-off calling itself "Hackers Without Borders."He told me someone will get back t ... More >>

June 29 In Blogs: DREAM Act, Eric Iwersen, Myst, Chris Curtiss, and Wes Gullett

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

DPS Chief's Son, Also Named Robert Halliday, in Child Support Squabble; Arrest Warrant Quashed This Week

Robert Halliday, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, might have seen his own son's name on a list of bench warrants in the past week.​The son of the director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety avoided being arrested this week by making a child support payment. Cour ... More >>

Woman Fails to Die After Throwing Herself in Front of Semi

​A woman was either trying to kill herself or was testing her ability to dodge moving vehicles on a Valley highway this morning. Either way, she failed -- she was hit by a tractor-trailer and lived.According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the woman pulled her car to the side of I-17 n ... More >>

UPDATE: Pinal County Sheriff's Office Closes Deputy Puroll Shooting Case--Again

If you read this blog, odds are that you know that the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) crime lab found no gun powder residue on the bloody t-shirt worn by Pinal County sheriff's deputy Louie Puroll on the afternoon last April 30.​ Sheriff Paul Babeu announced the finding at a heavil ... More >>

Arizona Freeway Speed Cameras to be Ripped Out This Week

  ​Arizona was the first state in the country to launch an extensive speed-camera system on highways and freeways. The experiment failed. This week, highway crews are ripping out the poles and camera housings along Interstate 17, Interstate 10 and State Route 51 in the Valley, a chore ... More >>

Morning Poll: Is the DPS's Apology Over Dead Body Mix-up Enough?

Abby Guerra and Marlena Cantu.​The Arizona Department of Public Safety issued apologies yesterday to the families of the two girls involved in the dead body mix-up following a car accident on the I-10 last week.If you're not familiar with the SNAFU, the two girls (pictured) were in a car wreck las ... More >>

Blazing Wildfires Doesn't Stop DPS From Using Speed Cams to Nab Lead Foots on Northern Arizona Highway

www.radarroy.com​Despite the blazing wildfires that engulfed parts of northern Arizona over the weekend, it seems the Arizona Department of Public Safety wasn't going to allow a pesky inferno to stop it from dishing out photo-radar speeding tickets.As the fires raged, a source who was at the ... More >>

Marijuana Found in Georgia Man's Truck -- Lots of It

DPS That's what 480 pounds of weed looks like. ​Arizona Department of Public Safety officers made a substantial score last week, when they swiped more than 450 pounds of weed from a trucker from Georgia.

Four People Arrested at State Capitol During Immigration Bill Protests; Crowd of About 2,000 Mostly Peaceful

​ About 1,500 to 2,000 people who descended on the State Capitol today to protest anti-illegal-immigrant legislation were mostly peaceful, and state troopers arrested only four people. Three of the arrests were sparked in part by ice cream, of all things. At about 3:30 p.m., an ice-crea ... More >>

DPS Announces First Quarter Drug Bust Numbers; They're Impressive

www.mysouthwest.com​Arizona is a hot-bed for drug activity in the United States and the Arizona Department of Public Safety announced this morning just how hot it is. According to DPS, officers recovered nearly $30 million in drugs and more than $2 million in drug money during several ... More >>

Hot Links: Prostitution, Luke Air Force Base, and Chihuahuas

​Three women who worked at a massage parlor in Yuma have been arrested for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of the business. Won Shil Shim, Muae Park, and Hyun Joo Song, all Korean citizens, were charged after an ongoing investigation into the Somerton parlor. Shim was released on more th ... More >>

Sheriff's Posse Vehicles May Retain Official Insignia; County Rescinds Order After Hail of E-Mails

Image: www.jeepposse.orgOfficial or private vehicle? In some cases, it may be difficult to tell.​ You don't mess with the posse.Maricopa County leaders learned that Wild-West lesson this week when they were forced to rescind a demand to the sheriff's office that posse vehicles could no longer ... More >>

"Drive Hammered...Get Nailed;" That's What Law Enforcement Officials are Telling Us Before Weekend DUI Sweep

www.thesharkguys.com​We would never recommend driving drunk, but this weekend, we really don't recommend it.Starting Friday, the Governor's Office of Highway Safety is beginning the national 2009 Labor Day holiday drunk-driving law enforcement campaign:  "Over the Limit.  Under Arr ... More >>

Counterfeit Cash Bust in Phoenix; Task Force Gets Tip, Seizes $55,300 in Fake Bills

To Live and Die in L.A. Phoenix. ​ Thankfully, this big-money bust didn't involve a nail-biting, wrong-way drive on the freeway that made for such a great action scene in the above-linked movie. Nope, just some good detective work by local cops who followed up on a tip a couple of weeks ago ... More >>

Arpaio's Anti-Illegal-Immigrant Squads Arrest 93 in Past Two Weeks

Arpaio Twitter Watch:         ​ What Arpaio is referring to here is the fact that his anti-illegal-immigrant forces have arrested 93 Mexicans and other Latinos in the past two weeks. Okay, we confess we don't know for sure that they were all Mexicans and Latinos, but h ... More >>

Yuma Man Charged in 2008 Crown King Fire; Former National Park Services Employee Set Signal Fire

Image: WikipediaCrown King Saloon A former National Park Services employee is being charged by the federal government for leaving a fire unattended that grew out of control and spurred the evacuation of Crown King, a small, mountain town northwest of Phoenix. The "Lane 2" fire burned nearly 10,000 ... More >>

Watermelons and Pot: DPS Nabs New Jersey Man With Haul Near New River

Image: Arizona Department of Public SafetyThe stop of a big-rig near New River on Tuesday turned into a juicy bust for the Arizona Department of Public Safety after 500 pounds of pot was discovered along with a load of watermelons.DPS says the rig (below) was hauling its load from Nogales, Ari ... More >>

Bell Peppers and Pot: DPS Finds 5,000-Pound Weed Stash on Truck Near Nogales

  Image: Arizona Department of Public SafetyThe Arizona Department of Public Safety should open a farmer's market. This morning, the agency told us about a truck driver busted with 508 pounds of pot hidden with watermelons. A few minutes ago, DPS announced it had made an e ... More >>

Brett Mecum, Arizona Republican Party Exec Director, Accused of Doing 109 MPH in His Ford Mustang

The Department of Public Safety just announced why Brett Mecum, the 30-year-old executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, was arrested this morning at party headquarters: Mecum, the glum-faced guy in the picture, was caught by a freeway speed camera on April 10 doing 109 mph in his sports ... More >>

Photo Radar Van Worker Shot Dead on Loop 101; UPDATE: Suspect in Custody

  Police are hunting have arrested a suspect in a SUV who shot a photo radar van operator Sunday night. (SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF POST).  The 51-year-old victim, Doug Georgianni, had worked for the photo enforcement company Redflex as a "driver-technician" for only three months, ... More >>

Pastor Tased and "Beaten" at Checkpoint Plans to Sue; Admits He's Been Resisting at Checkpoints for Months

Criminal charges have been filed against Steven Anderson, a local pastor we wrote about yesterday who claims he was brutalized at an Interstate 8 checkpoint. Anderson, however, says he's the victim and that he plans to sue the authorities involved in the incident. His family's personal Web site ... More >>

Auto Theft Down in Phoenix and Tucson; Arizona DPS Takes Credit

Roger Vanderpool, DPS Director The Arizona Department of Public Safety is taking credit for a decrease in auto thefts in Phoenix and Tucson, saying a smorgasbord of enforcement efforts made the difference. Referring to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that show no Arizona city i ... More >>

Speed Camera Alert: Three More "Super Speeders" Arrested in Homes

The Department of Public Safety released details on the arrests of who the agency calls "super speeders" -- motorists caught by photo enforcement cameras on Valley freeways.Coincidentally, New Times called DPS last night about the issue, and wrote about it this morning.But get this -- it turns out o ... More >>

Drunk Dump Truck Driver Causes Chain-Reaction Accident on Loop 202 Off-Ramp in Mesa, says DPS

The only thing more dangerous than a drunk driver is a drunk driver behind the wheel of a massive dump truck.But that's who's responsible for a chain-reaction collision on the westbound off-ramp of the Loop 202 at Country Club Drive in Mesa today, says the Arizona Department of Public Safety.Michael ... More >>

Money Seized in Traffic Stops Provides Photo Evidence of Drug Cartel Biz

  Drool away at this big-buck seizure. The Arizona Department of Public Safety today released photos of cash seized in traffic stops by state troopers, including one of a stop that netted a duffle bag containing $248,249 in cash. The evidence shows what law enforcement is facing, ... More >>

Crime Lab at Arizona Department of Public Safety Lands Lofty Accreditation as it Seeks State Funding

There's nothing like knowing something is worth an expensive pricetag -- as long as you've got little choice but to pay for it. Days after a prominent Arizona Republic story about how lawmakers are scrambling to find funds for the cash-poor Arizona Department of Public Safety crime lab, the age ... More >>

"Heroin Ring" Stretched from Chandler to Show Low, Says DPS

On the heels of recent articles across the United States that claim heroin use is surging, the Arizona Department of Public Safety says it recently broke up a major heroin ring based in Chandler. Detectives worked for seven months on the case with members of a northern Arizona anti-drug task f ... More >>

Former State Trooper Guilty in Drunken, Off-Duty Collision With Motorcyclist

A former 27-year veteran of the Arizona Department of Public Safety has been found guilty of aggravated assault following a drunken collision with a motorcyclist who lost his leg. George Aguilera faces five to 15 years following today's jury decision, says the Maricopa County Attorney ... More >>

Speed Cameras Spur Arrests; More Vans Coming to a Highway Near You

Arizona's highway speed camera system is not only saving lives, but also helping bring criminal speeders to justice, says the Department of Public Safety. Mario Espinoza, 36, accused leadfootThe latest DPS news release (scroll down for the full text) about photo enforcement con ... More >>

Disaster Exercise to Test Hospitals, Public Safety Officials With 1,200 Volunteer Victims (Including You, If You Want)

Disaster will strike the Valley on March 10, 2009.No, that's not a prediction from the Mayan calendar. It's a mock event being held on or near Arizona State University's Tempe campus to test the disaster readiness of local public safety officials and health care workers.The "Coyote Crisis Campaign" ... More >>

Photo Enforcement Policy Differs for DPS Troopers Flashed by State System; City Cops Always Need Legit Excuse

When Interstate 17 speed cameras flashed a couple of Gilbert cops last November, the officers were rewarded with more than a ticket -- they became the subjects of a department investigation and, as of yesterday, an Arizona Republic news story.The question of what cops do with the automatic tickets ... More >>

Fleeing Suspect Tip #151: Get Out From Under the Truck If You Hear the Engine Start

Yesterday we wrote about one local contender for America's Dumbest Criminals.Today we have one more for you: A guy fleeing a state trooper hides under a truck, only to have the truck then run over him.

ATS Drops Complaint Against Redflex with AZ DOA; Federal Suit Still On Like Donkey Kong

So far, this is still our fave way to fight Redflex's robotic photo enforcement sentinels. Aussie photo enforcement firm Redflex is crowing like a stud rooster today, issuing a press release from Redflex flack Shoba Vaitheeswaran, announcing that its Scottsdale-based rival, American Traffic Soluti ... More >>

Photo Enforcement Camera Reprieve: State Troopers Will Set Trigger at 11 mph Over Speed Limit

In a belated Christmas present, the Arizona Department of Public Safety announces it will raise the trigger of photo enforcement units by one mile per hour. Until now, DPS had its Valley cameras giving people tickets if they sped 10 mph over the posted limit -- now, it will be 11 mph. The move pu ... More >>

Traffic Stop Nets Nearly 200 Pounds of Pot Found Wrapped Like Christmas Presents

A couple driving north toward Tucson the day after Christmas was caught with nearly 200 pounds of marijuana disguised like holiday presents. The Nogales, Arizona, couple were stopped on Interstate 19 for a traffic violation, according to an Arizona Department of Public Safety news release: Insid ... More >>

Caring Cops and State Troopers Send Christmas Cheer to Kids

Sometimes there is a cop around when you need one, and that's especially true for disadvantaged children getting extra Christmas cheer from local law enforcement.Officers from the Phoenix police department's Maryvale precinct delivered presents to two Valley homes this week, (picture below from Chan ... More >>

Smuggling Syndicate Crushed in "Operation En Fuego," AG's Office Says

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard will reveal details tomorrow of the break-up of a large smuggling syndicate thanks to the work of several law enforcement agencies (but not the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office). While Sheriff Joe Arpaio was rousting corn vendors and trying to one-up Mesa ... More >>

Cloned UPS Truck Caught Smuggling Ton of Pot

"Synchronizing" is a tough word to spell, even if you aren't high from the ton of marijuana you're trying to smuggle. But you'd think after going to all the trouble of creating this UPS lookalike, the smugglers would invest some of their profit in a dictionary. The truck, which was carrying 2,118 ... More >>

Arizona Photo Enforcement Ticket: How to Beat It and Keep Your Conscience Clear

People ask us all the time: What can I do about that nasty photo radar ticket I got in the mail? The answer: Nothing. Literally. Chuck it in the trash. It's perfectly ethical -- just look at the ticket's fine print. You see, for photo enforcement citations to be valid, the state ... More >>

Local Photo Enforcement Vandalism is Child's Play Compared to Destruction of Speed Cameras Elsewhere

New Times first reported two weeks ago that the speed cameras being placed abundantly throughout town by the Arizona Department of Public Safety were being "vandalized" with -- gasp -- Post-It notes. Scofflaw activists hope placing the sticky notes on camera lenses will b ... More >>

Hot Links: DPS Covers State With Speed Cameras; Phoenix Cutting 1,000 Jobs; FBI Calls Robber "Mid-Life Crisis Bandit"

Travelers must force their way through a gauntlet of photo enforcement vans today on Interstates 10 and 40 in what appears to be the single largest deployment of speed cameras ever. The Arizona Department of Public Safety wants to "cover all of I-10 and I-40 in Arizona," says the Republic article be ... More >>

Red-Light Camera Helps Stick It to Suspected Motorcycle Thief

One in a blue moon, photo enforcement cameras do something other than make a profit off of momentarily careless drivers like Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. One Phoenix red-light camera helped nab a suspected motorcycle thief recently, says the Arizona Department of Public Safety.  

See Ya Later, Regulator