Arizona Opinion: Engel is wrong about defunding the police

As president of the Arizona Police Association, it is important to me that those who represent us do so with honesty, respect and empathy. Kirsten Engel has embodied none of these values. Now, she is asking voters for a promotion to Congress. Engel is the wrong choice.

We have endorsed Juan Ciscomani for Congress because we trust him to prioritize public safety. Juan gets it. He understands the sacrifices officers make to protect and serve. Juan will ensure we have the resources we need to keep you safe.

Violent crime is surging, especially in places with dangerous “defund the police” policies. Southern Arizona has not been spared. This community has been touched by violent crime far too frequently. Last year, Tucson broke an all-time murder record, and we have seen little drop off this year.

So what does Kristen Engel think about law enforcement? Engel is in lockstep with those who want to defund our police and go soft on crime.

When asked if she would “defund the police” and support “a reduction in police budgets,” Engel replied, “Yeah … I agree with it. What I see is a shifting. What we need to do is shift where the money is going.” Not only has Engel flat-out said she would support defunding the police, she has accepted endorsements from extreme groups that support defunding the police.

Arizonans need a representative that supports us, not one that will strip away our funding and put our communities in peril to please the radical left. Radical Congressional Democrats Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been pushing to defund our law enforcement for years, and Kirsten Engel agrees with them. Is that someone we want to represent us in Arizona?

Engel also denies there is a crisis at the southern border. She refuses to support our Border Patrol agents, state troopers and sheriff’s deputies on the front lines. As a state legislator, Engel voted to block funding for the Border Strike Force that supports their public safety missions across Southern Arizona. Instead of additional manpower and resources to secure the border, Engel endorsed expanding the IRS instead.

Engel doesn’t seem to care about dangerous individuals crossing into Arizona, including human traffickers, convicted murderers, rapists and suspected terrorists, or the record amounts of fentanyl flooding in.

We need someone in Congress that will serve Southern Arizona above all else and Kirsten Engel has already proven that she is beholden to extreme defund the police activists.

Kirsten Engel might not care about protecting our state, but I have spent years doing so, and I always will. I support Juan Ciscomani because he can be trusted to back our law enforcement, secure the border and keep our communities safe, something Kirsten Engel knows nothing about.