Jail District Public Outreach Committee 2022

Learn More about the Public Outreach Committee

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors has launched a transparent public process to explore the County jail needs, improvements, and potential costs to the taxpayers. They have asked the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and County leadership to work together with the community, public health and safety professionals, and finance experts to better understand the issue.

As a result, a Public Outreach Committee, made up of individuals from throughout the community, has been formed to have thoughtful dialogue and provide the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation that helps them make an educated decision on possible solutions.

About the Public Outreach Committee Process

The committee is focused solely on the jail and will conclude following their recommendation.  During their time together, their scope of work will focus on the criminal justice system, immigration issues, mental health challenges, changes in technology, facility needs, public opinion, and other factors.  Following their deliberative process, they will make a recommendation to the Board on whether or not Cochise County officials should consider calling for an election in 2023, to establish a jail district to provide revenue for modern Jail facilities and services.

Public Outreach Committee Members

  • Frank Antenori
  • John Pintek
  • Katie Miller
  • David DiPeso
  • Paul Sheats
  • Danya Acosta
  • Jon Kosmider
  • Mary (Kay) Gojkovich
  • Judge James Conlogue (Ret.)
  • Tony Isom
  • Jennifer Lakosil
  • Eric Petermann

Agendas & Meeting Recordings

Why is this process needed?

Cochise County has the main jail in Bisbee and two substations (temporary holding facilities), one in Sierra Vista, and the other in Willcox.  These three facilities are responsible for housing all arrests made in our entire region. These facilities hold inmates charged for everything from mental health-related issues to drug charges, juvenile crimes, violent offenders, and much more. Our public safety infrastructure relies upon these facilities to meet the County’s needs, and it’s clear that we are facing significant challenges that must now be addressed.

Originally designed over 40 years ago to house 168 prisoners, today the Cochise County Jail has been modified to hold as many as 302 inmates. The current facility is quite old, extensively outdated, and expensive to maintain. Over the years, it has been forced to modify and incorporate basic technologies like internet to accommodate radio communications, and many other modifications to meet increasing federal regulatory requirements.  Further renovations may be more expensive than replacing the underlying sources of the problem.

We want to hear from you!

Public safety is key to our quality of life. Our community is a great place to live, work, and raise a family.  Ensuring that our County remains a safe place to live is one of our core community values. Additionally, quality public safety helps protect our property values and plays a vital part in our ability to continue to attract residents and businesses.

As our community faces growing immigration and mental health challenges, we must face this issue head-on and continue to consider investments in our public safety and jail system to protect our quality of life.

This initiative is a community effort. We want our fellow citizens to understand and engage in the process by asking questions, submitting comments, and following along.  If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.

In the news

Community Feedback Form

  2. Overview

    Cochise County residents are encouraged to provide feedback. We want our fellow citizens to understand and engage in the process by asking questions, submitting comments, and following along. Please submit your questions and/or comments in the section below:

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