Arizona
Arizona getting creative to fill school resource officer shortage, but is it working?
PHOENIX (AZFamily) —With the start of the new school year upon us, the safety of our students is at the top of our minds.
The state is pushing to add more school resource officers or SROs, but as Arizona’s Family Investigates has reported, the police officer shortage has made that challenging.
The Arizona Department of Education said it has more school resource officers this year and is using off-duty police officers to fill some of those positions through a new initiative.
Dozens of school districts across the state that couldn’t get an SRO because of the shortage are instead using school safety officers or SSOs. These are off-duty police officers who sign up for the assignment.
The Phoenix Union High School District—one of the largest high school districts in the country—brought back SROs following an incident in September 2022. Reports of an active shooter on the campus of Central High School sent students and staff running. Fortunately, no active shooter was found.
However, it took several months for the Phoenix Police Department to come up with officers to give them.
Arizona’s Family Investigates asked Mo Canady, the Executive Director of the National Association of SROs, about that shortage.
“That’s a real problem. It’s easy for me to advocate for an SRO in every school in the country, which I believe we should have,” he responded.
His group held their annual conference in Phoenix this week.
He explained SRO’s do more than security, they serve as informal counselors and build relationships with kids.
But this shortage has impacts. It meant some SROs in our state had to cover more than one school.
Arizona’s Family Investigates asked Canady if he believed that “they can be effective in that situation.” He answered, “It’s better than no SRO at all. But it’s very difficult to be effective when you’re having to move around to different schools.”
Craig Avery, an SRO at South Valley Junior High in Gilbert, knows that all too well. When he started in that position eight years ago, he was assigned to three junior highs and 30 elementary and charter schools.
“It’s good just to be within a specific set of admin, a specific set of board directors and faculty, kind of focus my efforts and not be spread so thin,” Avery said. “Way beyond just the safety of the school, being able to educate these kids,” he continued.
To combat the shortage, state lawmakers approved using off-duty police officers. These SSOs could be at a school one or two days a week and don’t have as much training as SROs.
The state tells us it’s starting the school year with 301 SROs, up from 214 last year. They’ve also got nearly 700 SSOs.
“With the implementation of the school safety officer program, it’s given other officers the opportunity to see what it’s like to be on school campuses,” Steve Dieu, the President of the Arizona SRO Association, said. He hopes it could lead more of them to consider the position full-time.
The Phoenix Union High School District said it would have four SROs and two SSOs for this upcoming school year. They’ll each be assigned to two schools, and the district explains that these SSOs will likely be different every day.
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Arizona
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts, observations
A look at how the Cardinals split up their 61 offensive snaps against the Bucs.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 17 players participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left guard Evan Brown, center Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Isaiah Adams, right tackle Kelvin Beachum played every snap. Wide receiver Michael Wilson missed four, while tight end Trey McBride played all but seven.
How was the playing time divided up? Below are individual snap counts for every player who got in the game offensively, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts: Quarterbacks
- Jacoby Brissett (61/100
- Active, did not play: Kedon Slovis
- Reserve/injured (eligible for return): Kyler Murray
It was the fourth 300-yard game (301) in Brissett’s seven starts, but the record is 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. He completed 29-of-40 passes with two touchdown passes and one interception for a 100.1 passer rating. The interception was a bad decision and behind wide receiver Michael Wilson to stop their first possession of the game on a play that began at the 20-yard line, but not in the red zone.
On third down, Brissett’s three completions on six attempts achieved first downs for a total of 39 yards. He was sacked once and threw incomplete twice in the fourth quarter on third-and-1 and third-and-2 and on third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. He ran three times for 16 yards with a long of eight.
Brissett said after the game, “It’s just execution, man. In a lot of those critical plays, I got to play a lot better.”
Running backs
- Michael Carter (32/52), Bam Knight (29/48)
- Inactive: Emari Demercado (injured)
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): Jermar Jefferson
- Reserve/injured: Trey Benson (eligible to return/practicing), James Conner (eligible to return, but won’t)
It was one of the better outings of the season as Knight rushed 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 average) and contributed 36 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, on three receptions. He ended up with 98 yards from scrimmage. However, there was a lost fumble on the first possession of the first half after he ran for 13 yards on the first play.
Carter had 17 yards on three carries and added five catches for 47 yards.
Wide receivers
- Michael Wilson (57/93), Marvin Harrison Jr. (37/61), Xavier Weaver (30/49), Greg Dortch (20/33)
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): Andre Baccellia
- Reserve/injured: Simi Fehoko (eligible to return), Zay Jones (eligible to return, but won’t)
Harrison returned after missing two games because of appendicitis and caught six of seven targets for 69 yards with a long of 21. He was on and off the field because of a heel injury. Wilson returned to earth with three receptions for 26 yards on seven targets. Dortch had two catches for 14 yards, while Weaver was targeted once, but it wasn’t caught.
Tight ends
- Trey McBride (54/89), Elijah Higgins (25/41), Pharaoh Brown (7/11), Josiah Deguara (3/5)
- Reserve/injured: Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek (both eligible to return, but won’t)
The beat goes on for McBride, who caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. He extended his streak of five-catch games to 14, the second-longest in history for a tight end. He’s one game behind Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. McBride entered the game tied with Jimmy Graham for the most receiving yards for a tight end (301) in their first four seasons. The only blemish was a missed block on a failed fourth-and-1 play from the Cardinals’ 39-yard line in the fourth quarter that led to a 57-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Higgins had two receptions for 17 yards.
Offensive linemen
- LT Paris Johnson Jr. (61/100), LG Evan Brown (61/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (61/100), RG Isaiah Adams (52/62), RT Kelvin Beachum (61/100), RT Josh Fryar (11/18)
- Inactive: C/G Hayden Conner
- Active/did not play: T Demontrey Jacobs
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): C/G Jon Gaines II
- Reserve/injured: RG Will Hernandez (eligible to return), T Christian Jones (eligible to return/practicing), RT Jonah Williams (eligible to return but won’t)
- Reserve/injured: Valentin Senn
The five starters played every snap, including Adams who returned to the first group after Hernandez was placed on injured reserve Saturday. Conner was activated from IR Saturday, but was inactive for the game. The decision was made five days before the deadline in his 21-day practice window.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20=17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, 17 players participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left guard Evan Brown, center Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Isaiah Adams, right tackle Kelvin Beachum played every snap. Wide receiver Michael Wilson missed four, while tight end Trey McBride played all but seven.
How was the playing time divided up? Below are individual snap counts for every player who got in the game offensively, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts:
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett (61/100
Active, did not play: Kedon Slovis
Reserve/injured (eligible for return): Kyler Murray
It was the fourth 300-yard game (301) in Brissett’s seven starts, but the record is 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. He completed 29 of 40 passes with two sacks and one interception for a 100.1 passer rating. The interception was a bad decision and behind wide receiver Michael Wilson to stop their first possession of the game on a play that began at the 20-yard line, but not in the red zone.
On third down, Brissett’s three completions on six attempts achieved first downs for a total of 39 yards. He was sacked once and threw incomplete twice in the fourth quarter on third-and-1 and third-and-2 and on third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. He ran three times for 16 yards with a long of eight.
Brissett said after the game, “It’s just execution man. In a lot of those critical plays, I got to play a lot better.”
Running backs
Michael Carter (32/52), Bam Knight (29/48)
Inactive: Emari Demercado (injured)
Active/did not play (except for special teams): Jermar Jefferson
Reserve/injured: Trey Benson (eligible to return/practicing), James Conner (eligible to return, but won’t)
It was one of the better outings of the season as Knight rushed 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 average) and contributed 36 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, on three receptions. He ended up with 98 yards from scrimmage. However, there was a lost fumble on the first possession of the first half after he ran for 13 yards on the first play.
Carter had 17 yards on three carries and added five catches for 47 yards.
Wide receivers
Michael Wilson (57/93), Marvin Harrison Jr. (37/61), Xavier Weaver (30/49), Greg Dortch (20/33)
Active/did not play (except for special teams): Andre Baccellia
Reserve/injured: Simi Fehoko (eligible to return), Zay Jones (eligible to return, but won’t)
Harrison returned after missing two games because of appendicitis and caught six of seven targets for 69 yards with a long of 21. He was on and off the field because of a heel injury. Wilson returned to earth with three receptions for 26 yards on seven targets. Dortch had two catches for 14 yards, while Wesaver was targeted once, but it wasn’t caught.
Tight ends
Trey McBride (54/89), Elijah Higgins (25/41), Pharaoh Brown (7/11), Josiah Deguara (3/5)
Reserve/injured: Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek (both eligible to return, but won’t)
The beat goes on for McBride, who caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. He extended his streak of five-catch games to 14, the second-longest in history for a tight end. He’s one game behind Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. McBride entered the game tied with Jimmy Graham for the most receiving yards for a tight end (301) in their first four seasons. The only blemish was a missed block on a failed fourth-and-1 play from the Cardinals 39-yard line in the fourth quarter that led to a 57-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Higgins had two receptions for 17 yards.
Offensive linemen
LT Paris Johnson Jr. (61/100), LG Evan Brown (61/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (61/100), RG Isaiah Adams (52/62), RT Kelvin Beachum (61/100), RT Josh Fryar (11/18)
Inactive: C/G Hayden Conner
Active/did not play: T Demontrey Jacobs
Active/did not play (except for special teams): C/G Jon Gaines II
Reserve/injured: RG Will Hernandez (eligible to return), T Christian Jones (eligible to return/practicing), RT Jonah Williams (eligible to return but won’t)
Reserve/injured: Valentin Senn
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Winning $1.4M lottery ticket sold at this metro Phoenix grocery store
Strategies for playing the Powerball lottery game
Some suggestions for having the most luck with the popular lottery game.
One fortunate Arizona lottery player will take home nearly $1.5 million after a winning Triple Twist Jackpot ticket was sold at a metro Phoenix grocery store, Arizona Lottery officials said.
The ticket, which was worth $1,470,218, was sold at the Safeway located near Peoria Avenue and Cotton Lane in Surprise.
Sunday’s winning numbers were 12,17,18,19,41 and 42.
The next Triple Twist drawing is on Monday night. With the jackpot hit, the estimated jackpot for the next drawing is $200,000.
Arizona
Virus affecting horses continues to spread in Arizona, other states
A multi-state outbreak of an equine herpes virus continues to spread in Arizona, as a fourth case was confirmed this weekend. FOX 10’s Megan Spector learns more about one Valley rescue working hard to prevent the virus reaching their horses.
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