Dear Editor,
It has come to the attention of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office that there are some private entities within Mohave County attempting to solicit and collect donations under the guise of “Search and Rescue” that have no affiliation with the Sheriff’s Office. Some of the concerns that have been raised include teams that are self-certifying and misleading the public on how Search and Rescue operations occur in Arizona. There are also concerns that these private entities are misleading the public and taking funds donated by the public who believe those funds would be used for search and rescue in Mohave County.
We have had people join our search and rescue team that could not meet the State and County standards when it came to search and rescue missions and have formed their own teams. They have no working relationship with the Sheriff’s Office to perform search and rescue missions – and do not have the resources or the knowledge to effectively perform search and rescue missions in Arizona.
The State of Arizona mandates that the Sheriff of each county is responsible for all search and rescue missions within their County. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-441.C states the following: “The sheriff shall conduct or coordinate within the county search or rescue operations involving the life or health of any person or may assist in such operations in another county at the request of that county’s sheriff. The sheriff may request assistance from any persons or agencies in fulfilling duties under this subsection.”
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office has four Search and Rescue Units (also established with a 501(c)3 IRS nonprofit tax status) to support the fundraising necessary for the gear and equipment used in search and rescue missions. These Units have been conducting search and rescue operations for the Sheriff since the 1960s and have a lot of experience and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the remote and rugged wilderness areas of our County. These Units are known as:
• Kingman Search and Rescue
• Lake Havasu City Search and Rescue
• Bullhead City Search and Rescue
• Arizona Strip Search and Rescue
Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
