Mayor, City Hall workers to get increased security | News

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now)- Tucson News Now has learned that Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will now have personal security.

The mayor's office said the decision came from Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor's office.

In a memo from the chief to City Manager Richard Miranda, Villaseñor indicates security plans have been in the works for the past few months.  "Recent events have demonstrated a need to solidify those plans into a course of action that will provide for a safe work and public environment at City Hall," the chief says.

Villaseñor says a committee has discussed several options, and his recommendation is a mix of private security plus TPD presence.  He says it would be a "temporary pilot" to determine the effectiveness both on security and the City Hall working environment.

Officials say at least one Tucson Police officer has been assigned to protect the mayor on a "temporary" basis as they review protocols to see which elected officials need security and how that should be handled.

The mayor's office is not commenting at this time.  Officials in Phoenix and Mesa say they have security teams in place to protect their mayors.

In the memo, Villaseñor also says, "Future plans may call for technological solutions to increase security, keeping in mind the need for ease of access for City Hall employees. Part of this security evaluation will also include offering security/risk analysis for each of the Ward Offices, to assist them in creating a safe work and public environment."

The chief also raises concerns about the cost of the security:  "This is not a budgeted function for the Police Department and current efforts have been paid out of residual special duty funds. This is a temporary situation that cannot last for a protracted amount of time, and this function will need to be incorporated into the Department's budget."