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    Home » SPD officer wins crisis response award
    City of Sedona

    SPD officer wins crisis response award

    August 28, 2018Updated:August 29, 2018No Comments2 Mins Read
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    City of Sedona ArizonaSedona AZ (August 28, 2018) – A 12-year veteran of the Sedona Police Department, Officer Kevin Hudspeth, is the recipient of a statewide award for outstanding service to people in mental health crisis.

    Hudspeth received the David’s Hope 2018 Crisis Response Officer of Distinction award at an Aug. 23 event in Tempe, Ariz. The award was presented by the Arizona Mental health Criminal Justice Coalition, and recognized Hudspeth’s work in planning, organizing and executing Sedona PD’s homeless/transient outreach operations over the past year.

    photo_kevinhudspeth“Officer Hudspeth is a thoughtful law enforcement officer and problem solver,” says Sedona Police Chief David McGill. “Starting about 18 months ago, he directed our officers to step up their attention on the homeless living in the forest surrounding Sedona, many of whom live with mental illness. His goal was to not only enforce the law but, more important, to redirect people to services that can help them in the long run.”

    SPD officers frequently make contact with people with mental illness, and conduct field operations each quarter to locate, identify, and assist the city’s homeless/transient population. One community challenge is a lack of available services within a reasonable distance, especially in times of crisis. Hudspeth took a leadership role in both conducting contact operations and serving as a liaison with health providers such as Spectrum Health, Catholic Charities, Sedona Fire District, and U.S. Forest Service, among others.

    In most SPD contact operations, officers contact between 10 and 20 individuals, most of whom have mental health challenges. Some are cited or arrested for repeat law violations, but most are given alternative, diversion, dispositions designed to get them immediate help in the field, and longer term support from mental health and social work professionals.

    Chief McGill says Hudspeth works with empathy, compassion and dignity and brings special skill to one particular segment of the homeless population. “Being a military veteran, Officer Hudspeth can especially relate with other veterans who are homeless,” he says. “Many of them have post traumatic stress disorder, and need support, not incarceration.”

    The David’s Hope organization is based in Chandler and works to reduce the number of people with mental disorders and addictions who are incarcerated. Its website is davidshopeaz.org.

    The Sedona Police Department, responsible for law enforcement in 18.6 square miles, has 28 sworn positions and 12 civilian support positions, and serves 10,000 residents and an estimated 2 million annual visitors.

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    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
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    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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