On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher announced his desire to not seek a third term as county sheriff, planning to step down from his position in December 2020. He informed YCSO staff at a staff meeting on Tuesday morning, according to a YCSO press release.
“I have accomplished many goals as sheriff and am ready to move into private life and explore other opportunities following my retirement next year,” Mascher wrote in the press release. “As I have said many times, you are only as good as the people around you, and this has been the case throughout my time as sheriff. There are currently many outstanding staff members in leadership roles, and I am confident they will continue the progress we have made to serve the citizens of Yavapai County. This agency as a whole has done an incredibly good job, which is evident by crime statistics below state and national averages.”
Mascher has been with the YCSO since 1983, having first started as a volunteer reserve deputy after being encouraged to join law enforcement at a career day while studying at Yavapai College. He became a full-time deputy in 1986 and worked in numerous areas throughout the county, including time in both Sedona and Camp Verde when they were county areas not yet incorporated. Mascher worked every rank in the YCSO before appointed sheriff in June 2011 following the retirement of Sheriff Steve Waugh.
He was elected to a full term in 2012 and reelected to it in 2016. He served as president of the Arizona Sheriff’s Association from 2012 to 2014.
Mascher said that his greatest accomplishment in his time as sheriff was his work on programs to combat recidivism and lower jail populations, including partnering with local mental health groups for both pre- arrest diversions, where deputies call mental health partners in certain situations to find a way to de-escalate a situation without an arrest, and the Reach Out program, where inmates are pre- screened for mental health issues when they enter jail, and released with support from local non-profits in an effort to stop them from re-offending.
“It’s doing the right thing, because really, our focus is public safety,” Mascher said. “The trend of crime here in Yavapai County is lower than the state and national averages. We want to keep it that way. So by doing the right thing and diverting people away from the county jail to get treatment and resources, that not only helps them and their families and the community, but takes them out of jail, and it lessens crime. To me, it makes all the sense in the world. And then the police don’t have to deal with these people.”
Last week, a release of early statistics on YCSO’s mental health efforts showed promising signs for the programs, with a 16% recidivism rate in the county, a significant drop from the 28% average in the Arizona Department of Corrections, and notable drops in bookings, average daily population, and total inmate days compared to the year before. Community partners participated in 1,014 pre-arrest diversions between March of 2018 and March of 2019.
“I think it’s forward looking,” Mascher said. “It’s something that went from a vision, to actually a concept, into application, and a lot of people had to come together to make this happen.”
One of those people heavily involved in the jail program is YCSO Chief Deputy David Rhodes, who has overseen much of the jail operations. While looking to the future, Mascher expressed an intention to continue his commitment to his position for the remaining 13 months of his term.
“Yavapai County is a great place to live,” Mascher wrote. “The Sheriff’s Office is directly responsible to ensure our public safety and to maintain a quality of life that we can all enjoy. I will continue to place a high priority on maintaining this standard.”
Rhodes on Friday announced his intention to run for the sheriff position in 2020 to replace Mascher. Mascher provided his chief deputy with a full endorsement.
“One of the most important things for any leader, not just me, is to have someone there to take over as you leave, and I have that,” Mascher said. “Dave Rhodes has come up through the ranks like me. His whole adult life has been there. He’s a local, from the Verde Valley …. He’s who I support. He’s the one who knows all the ins and outs of the complex jail issues, patrol, criminal investigation, animal control, search and rescue, all of that. He’s worked in all those areas just like I did.”
