The Desperation of Mark Napier, Part Kvar

How desperate is Mark Napier to receive Operation Stonegarden funds this year? Two days ago, in Part Tres of our series, we asked whether Napier was desperate enough to lie on his Stonegarden grant application. Today we can say with 100% confidence that he is desperate enough to deny legitimate public information requests about Stonegarden operations under his watch and to say that the information requested isn't being captured, when we know that it is.

The requested data are being captured, and we have documentary proof.

Exhibits

(Each of the following exhibit documents will open in a new window when you click or tap.)

Exhibit A: Pages 4 and 5 of Napier's response to the information request.

Item 7 Request: The vehicle stops and citations numbers under OPSG for FY 2017 and the portion of FY 2018 while OPSG was active.

Napier's Response: We have previously not captured this information.

Item 8 Request: The FY 2017 and FY 2018 amount of people turned over to Border Patrol.

Napier's Response: Generally, the same answer as provide to item number 7.

Item 9 Request: The FY 2017 and FY 2018 total arrests (misdemeanor and felony)

Napier's Response: Again, the response to item 7 applies.

Exhibit B: FEMA Daily Activity Report Template, FY 2018

Exhibit C: PCSD Daily Activity Report, May 22, 2017.

Obtained from PCSD by public records request.

Conforms substantially to FEMA template (Exhibit B).

Captures all the information that Napier denied capturing in Exhibit A.

Exhibit D: Reporting Procedures from grant instructions.

Shows that there are strict requirements for reporting all data.

Exhibit E: DAR Analysis, FY 2016 and 2017, by Pima County Justice & Law Enforcement Department.

Shows analysis of captured data. Note especially list on page 5 of data that can be derived from the DARs.

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Our contacts in PCSD tell us that the data capture procedure for Stonegarden shifts begins with each deputy submitting a form on his or her computer after the end of the shift. Those forms are stored permanently on a server location known as the "P Drive" that is accessible to all authorized PCSD computers. They are also transmitted to Customs and Border Protection for further analysis and storage. We know they are kept on the PCSD server.

Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 39-121, the custodian of any public records must "promptly" turn over copies to any individual requesting them. In this instance, Napier is not only refusing to turn over copies promptly, he's saying they don't exist when we know that they do. The exhibits prove that they do.

What is Mark Napier hiding? Is he afraid that if the truth were known about his Stonegarden operations, the public and the Board would never agree to the funding? What other explanations could there be for his aberrant behavior?

What penalty do you think is appropriate for an elected official who refuses his responsibilities for political gain?

(In case you were wondering, kvar is Esperanto for four. This is the fourth post in our series.)