Dupnik Speaks Out About SB 1070, Border Issues

Wednesday, 09 February 2011 08:21

Clarence Dupnik never wanted the spotlight, not really.  But the Sheriff of Pima County refuses to keep quiet about the things he cares about, and he will not back down from the problems he sees.  Though most the world may have only become acquainted with Dupnik since the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, people in Pima County have known him as their sheriff for over 30 years.

The sheriff doesn’t dress like a cop, despite 52 years in law enforcement. With his arms crossed over an unassuming sweater, his candid voice and open demeanor, Dupnik could easily be taken for another ordinary, concerned citizen.  Dupnik has never had a history of searching for the spotlight, but this time, it found him.

Sheriff Dupnik was born in Helena, Texas in a Polish community called Panna Maria, but moved to Bisbee when he was a year old.  He attended Bisbee High School, and later, spent three years at the University of Arizona before beginning his long career in law enforcement.  He was hired by the Tucson Police Department in Feb. 1958 and retired as a Major in charge of Field Operations.  He then joined the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in 1977 as Chief Deputy and a few years later replaced Richard Boykin in the top spot.

“In 1980 the sheriff found a job that paid more money and left. I was appointed sheriff, and the people have been stuck with me now for 30 years,” he says.

The 75-year-old Dupnik is a bit of a rarity when it comes to Arizona’s sheriffs: he is a proud Democrat, and his outspoken views on Senate Bill 1070, border policy and, most recently, the attempted assassination of family friend Gabrielle Giffords, continue to draw national and international attention from both admirers and critics.

“I think the nation perceives [Arizona] as very conservative, gun-slinging state, the ‘Tombstone’ of America.  I think we deserve it,” he says.  He looks defeated, like a man who has waged a lonely war and lost.

Specifically, Dupnik refers to controversial policies such as SB 1070, the ethnic studies ban, and the proposed immigrant ‘anchor baby’ bill as examples of prejudiced legislation becoming a dangerous framework in Arizona.

“Unfortunately, Arizona has become a state with more than its fair share of hatred and bigotry.  I didn’t realize how substantial the problem was until I saw how much support Senate Bill 1070 got, not only from this state, but from all over the country, and it’s very disappointing to me because I think this bill was born out of bigotry.”

Dupnik has only a bleak forecast to offer for the future of the state, observing a trend of increasing violence and prejudice over his 30 years as county sheriff, not only in the state but in the country as a whole. He names drug use as a major local issue, especially among youth, but does not claim to have the answers, and admits he is not sure if there even is an answer.  As a sheriff of a county that shares a border with Mexico, border security poses a perpetual challenge, but Dupnik says the solution is nowhere in sight.

He cites the complexity of border security, and suggests that the majority of people do not truly understand all the factors involved or what immigration reform really entails.

“People tend to simplify complicated issues because they don’t understand them.  So the average person feels, ‘build a damn fence, keep them out’.  Well, that doesn’t work.”

Dupnik argues that many of these issues are nearly impossible to change because the majority of people lack either the necessary understanding, the will to change or both.  A secure border cannot exist without reform to the actual immigration laws, according to the sheriff, and such reform has to start at the federal level.  The deterrence of physical barriers is no match for the magnets of employment, education and social benefits.  Dupnik defiantly protests the role of the state in handling what he considers a federal issue.  It’s a position he’s familiar with, a stance he has stuck to, like in 2010 when he refused to enforce SB 1070.

Despite a grim outlook on the direction of Arizona, there is one thing Dupnik appears positive about: future retirement in Hawaii.  Dupnik ended the interview with some characteristically frank remarks, grinning as he broached the topic of his own mortality.

“You know, I’m 75 years old and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be on this planet, much less sheriff of Pima County, and there’s not that much to know about me…I am who I am.”

Written by Sean Ma You are reading Dupnik Speaks Out About SB 1070, Border Issues articles