PHOENIX (AP) -- An Arizona sheriff has announced plans to deploy an
armed volunteer posse to protect students in the wake of the Connecticut
school shooting.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio tells KTVK-TV he has the authority to mobilize private citizens to fight crime.
He says he doesn't plan to put posse members inside Phoenix-area schools but will have them posted around the perimeters.
Arpaio is known as one of the nation's most high-profile supporters of strict U.S.-Mexico border policy.
His
plan announced Thursday comes after two other Arizona officials
announced ideas for school security. Attorney General Tom Horne proposed
firearms training for one person in each school, and Pinal County
Sheriff Paul Babeu proposed training multiple educators per school to
carry guns.
Associated Press