EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By L. M. Boyd
Special for Cronkite News
- Candidate name: Tyler Kamp
- Political affiliation: Democrat
- Position sought: Maricopa County Sheriff
- Career: Former nonprofit director, former Phoenix Police lieutenant
Tyler Kamp, a 24-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, is running as a Democrat in the Maricopa County Sheriff race and wants to build off former Sheriff Paul Penzone’s legacy.
Penzone, a Democrat, was at the helm of the department after defeating longtime Sheriff Joe Arpaio in 2016, but he stepped down in January. Penzone was replaced by appointee Russ Skinner for the interim, butSkinner lost his bid to maintain the office to Kamp in the Democratic primary.
The latest campaign filings show Republican Jerry Sheridan has spent $292,318 as of July 13, while Kamp has spent $23,766. The next cash activity reports are due Oct. 15 for the third quarter.
Kamp campaigns on building upon Penzone’s foundation
Kamp said he was raised to serve a purpose greater than himself.
That mentality motivated the fifth-generation Maricopa County resident’s decision to join the Phoenix Police Department at age 22, and it continues to motivate him as a church elder and Sunday school teacher. It’s the mentality he aims to instill in the four children he shares with his wife of 25 years.
After more than two decades on the force, several years of combating human trafficking abroad and nonprofit work, the retired lieutenant hopes to serve as the Maricopa County Sheriff.
Kamp said his goal is to lead the sheriff’s office with accountability and integrity. His objectives include tackling employee retention, expanding mental health resources for staff, reducing in-custody deaths and elevating crime data analytics.
But as Election Day nears, Kamp’s race against Republican Jerry Sheridan has brought attacks from both sides stemming from each other’s pasts. ABC15 Arizona reported in July on a city investigation that substantiated claims that Kamp sent sexually harassing text messages to a female colleague. The probe was completed after Kamp retired, and he was not disciplined. Kamp acknowledged other personnel issues in a September debate, including an inappropriate database search and vehicle use but maintains he never sexually harassed anyone.
Sheridan, as well as a political action committee that opposes Kamp, have leaned into the claims of Kamp’s misconduct.
Whomever is elected sheriff will be responsible for shepherding the office out of a decade-long court monitorship. A 2008 lawsuit accused the sheriff’s office of targeting Latino drivers in traffic stops. U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ruled for court oversight in 2013.
Kamp holds Sheridan complicit in the office’s controversial practices and litigation, which has cost county taxpayers more than $300 million, the Associated Press reported in May.
As MCSO nears the conclusion of a decade-long court monitoring agreement, the Valley native said during a Sept. 25 debate that he will build upon Penzone’s tenure and ensure the agency does not “return to the days of my opponent and Joe Arpaio.”
Collaborating, staffing will be key
Before Penzone served as sheriff, Kamp says MCSO worked “within (a) silo.”
“I think that’s not effective. I think we have to collaborate with other organizations,” Kamp said in a phone interview.
Kamp said he wants to ensure that the sheriff’s office continues to improve its collaboration with other public safety groups, particularly with the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center. ACTIC operates 24/7 and provides intelligence, investigative and technical support to state, local, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies.
As of April, the department was down 112 deputies, leaving MCSO with about 22% of jobs vacant, according to Arizona’s Family.
Though Sheridan blames Penzone’s weak leadership, Kamp attributes the significant departures and vacancies to the consequence of Arpaio’s reign and the court-ordered oversight.
“It’s extra layers of bureaucracy that were needed in order to change course from what was occurring years ago,” Kamp said. “But now we’re suffering. They’re still suffering the consequences of those court orders.”
Kamp specifically cited payscale structure and a backlog of misconduct investigations as a threat to staff morale. His goal is to work with the county’s board of supervisors to boost pay and benefits, as well as establish a clinic to serve MCSO employees’ mental-health needs.
A 2020 study published with the American Medical Association found that 17% of the 434 law enforcement personnel included in the survey had sought help for their mental health in the past year. The study cited four barriers to seeking help:
Inability to identify when they are experiencing a mental illness.
Concerns about confidentiality.
Belief that psychologists cannot relate to their occupation.
Stigma that officers who seek mental health services are not fit for duty.
Though Kamp believes the stigma surrounding mental-health assistance has waned within law enforcement communities, a walk-in clinic would further diminish that shame, he said. But what would the price tag look like for the county?
“We’ll look at the budget. I do know in the past there have been federal grants,” Kamp said.
The fiscal year 2024 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program funds are used to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through the implementation of peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention and other wellness programs.
“We may have to be creative, but I think it’s important, and it’s a priority for me,” Kamp said.
MCSO jail death rates ranked top in U.S.
According to an investigation by The Arizona Republic, MCSO’s jail death rate is among the highest in the country. As of August, there had been 18 in-custody deaths this year. There were 43 jail deaths in 2023 and another 43 deaths in 2022.
Improving staffing will help inform solutions to prevent in-custody deaths, Kamp said, but it’s not the only answer.
Kamp said he wants to implement medical bracelets and assemble a task force that would be responsible for investigating all jail deaths as well as body scanners to prevent drugs, like fentanyl, from entering the jail system.
Currently, MCSO has jail crime detectives who handle inmate death investigations.
As for body scanners, the agency said they would be implemented after a former MCSO detention officer admitted to bringing drugs into a jail facility.
The former employee was sentenced to two years in prison in March after admitting to bringing methamphetamine and fentanyl into the Lower Buckeye Jail in 2022.
The incident prompted Penzone to announce that MCSO would purchase and install body scanners at jails that both incarcerated people and correctional staff would be required to go through.
Sexual misconduct investigation, inappropriate use of resources
Although Kamp’s time in the Phoenix Police Department came with its share of accolades – including a Medal of Valor and more than a dozen “employee of the month” awards – his record is tarnished with accusations and at least two reprimands.
Kamp was suspended in 2014 for using a confidential law enforcement database without a legitimate purpose and reprimanded in 2013 for repeatedly using a city vehicle for personal use, ABC15 reported.
According to employee records, in early 2022, an officer told a supervisor that she was being harassed by Kamp, which led to a formal complaint with the police department and an investigation handled by the city’s Equal Opportunity Department.
Text messages indicate Kamp talked to the officer about sex and also commented on her body.
While the alleged incidents were in 2020 and 2021, the investigation was handled after Kamp retired from the department. A city investigation determined the victim’s accusations were substantiated.
According to city records, a rookie officer filed the complaint after receiving texts from Kamp, who was then ranked as a lieutenant. A lieutenant is two ranks higher than an officer or detective.
Kamp’s campaign declined to comment on the misconduct in an interview. However, Kamp characterized the investigation as “incomplete” in an emailed statement.
“The review occurred after I had retired from the department and did not result in any post-disciplinary action,” the statement said. “Furthermore, the complaint was not brought by the individual I was corresponding with mutually.”
In his second debate against Sheridan, Kamp denied ever sexually harassing anyone.
In a statement, Kamp said he apologized to his wife for exchanging texts that were not respectful to her or his family.
“The fact of the matter is all of this pales in comparison to the $300 million Jerry Sheridan’s maleficence has cost Maricopa County taxpayers, his contempt of court, lying under oath, withholding evidence and his unconstitutional raids on Latino communities,” the statement said.
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