Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever has been named the new chairman of the Southwest Border Sheriff's Coalition. Dever follows Zapata County (Texas) Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez, who previously held the post. The coalition, founded in January 2007, is comprised of sheriffs from 26 counties along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Dever said his main goal will be to improve coordination, communication and response between local, state and federal agencies, according to a press release sent out by the public affairs agency that represents Dever and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu in their partnership, BorderSheriffs.com.
The sheriffs formed the alliance to "combat lawsuits brought by the ACLU and the Justice Department against the Sheriffs and explore opportunities to affirmatively bring action against the Federal Government." My colleague, Tim Steller, wrote about their plan in this story: 2 sheriffs join to defend 1070.
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Dever has been an outspoken supporter of Arizona's immigration enforcement law, SB 1070, and the federal government's failure to secure the border. He's quoted in the press release saying he'll use his position as chairman to fight the federal government to get the job done.
He's long been critical of the feds' inability to slow illegal immigration and drug smuggling and has amped up that criticism since Cochise County rancher Robert Krentz was found slain on his ranch on March 27 of this year. It's still unknown who killed Krentz, but there's been speculation that it was a drug-smuggling scout who fled into Mexico, based on information released by Dever.
Dever is no stranger to these leadership posts: he is on the National Sheriff Association's Board of Directors and is the Chairman of that association's Border Security and Immigration Committee. Dever has been Cochise County Sheriff since 1996.
