Arizona Rangers

Arizona Rangers
MottoFew but proud, then and now.
Agency overview
FormedMarch 21, 1901 (1901-03-21) (initial)
1957 (1957) (revival)
Dissolved1909 (1909) (initial)
Volunteers500+
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
Legal jurisdictionArizona
Primary governing bodyArizona Rangers Board of Directors
Secondary governing bodyArizona Rangers Board of Governors
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersPhoenix, AZ
Sworn members500+
Website
www.azrangers.us

The Arizona Rangers are a non-commissioned civilian auxiliary[1] that supports law enforcement in the state of Arizona.

In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Legislature passed Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 41-4201[2] authorizing the Arizona Rangers to provide armed law enforcement assistance to any Local, State, Federal or Tribal law enforcement[3] agency in Arizona, which was then signed into law by Governor Jane Hull amending ARS Title 41 – State Government. In addition, the Arizona Rangers are exempt from private security regulations under ARS 32-2606[4] authorizing the Rangers to provide armed public safety services for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

In 1901, the Arizona Rangers were created to rid the Arizona Territory of outlaws and corruption. At the time, the Territory was very dangerous. The United States Congress had denied the Governor's application for Arizona to become a State in part because there was no law and order. The Rangers were well-trained, well-equipped, and very effective at apprehending even the most dangerous of outlaws, evolving into one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country.[citation needed] Modeled after the Texas Rangers, the Arizona Rangers were tasked with hunting down and arresting outlaws in the Territory, especially along the Mexican border. By 1908, most of the outlaws had been arrested, killed, or had fled into Mexico.[citation needed] The Rangers were disbanded for political reasons in 1909.[citation needed] Shortly afterward, Arizona became the 48th state.

The Rangers were resurrected again in 1957 and continue to serve the State of Arizona today. They receive no governmental funding, with each Ranger paying for their own training and equipment.

Police departments often call in the Rangers to assist with tasks such as traffic control, surveillance, crime scene preservation, court security, and prisoner transportation. Each hour a Ranger donates allows those police officers extra time to protect each other and the communities they serve. For smaller agencies, the Rangers are a force multiplier and work alongside local law enforcement performing a variety of tasks. School Districts have called upon the Arizona Rangers to provide Resource Officers at several schools throughout the State.[5] Arizona Rangers may exercise powers of arrest under ARS 13-3884, arrest by private person.[6] However, while working certain duties (for example, court security and prisoner transportation) or at the direction and under the authority of requesting agencies, the Arizona Rangers do have full arrest authority.

In many circumstances, Rangers Train-to-Task to support the functions of a specific law enforcement duty, such as working with the railroad police. For example, the Tucson Company of the Arizona Rangers operates as an enhanced law enforcement assist group. Those Rangers complete additional training and physical conditioning and are then approved by the requesting agency to perform specialized support services, such as saturation patrol and second man in car while responding to calls for service.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Civilian Auxiliary". azleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  2. ^ "ARS 41-4201". azleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  3. ^ "Statute". azleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  4. ^ "Security Exemption". azleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  5. ^ "Rangers serve as resource officers on campus". myheraldreview.com. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  6. ^ "Powers of Arrest". azleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-01.