Original Article Sheriff's SWAT team shuffle decried Christina Leonard The Arizona Republic Jan. 13, 2005 12:00 AM As part of a sweeping reorganization, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio transferred every member of the office's SWAT team - and the move has since created a stir. The sheriff reshuffled about 300 people shortly after his re-election in November, including about a dozen deputies and supervisors in the elite SWAT team. It's unusual for a law enforcement agency to wipe out a whole team at once. And now critics are crying foul, accusing Arpaio of punishing employees who supported campaign opponent Dan Saban. "Some of it is direct retribution," said Chris Gerberry, president of the Maricopa County Deputies Association. "They're going to say, 'Of course it's not. It's normal reorganization.' But it's easy to see." Arpaio shrugged off the criticism, saying he couldn't care less who likes him. "Do you really think I would put the people at risk just because two guys don't like the sheriff or came out against me? Why would I do that?" Arpaio said. "I don't even know their names." Larry Black, chief of enforcement, said the sheriff wanted to put more deputies on the street and reduce response times. So they made the SWAT team a part-time position with some patrol instead of a full-time position. Black said the SWAT members didn't want to do part-time patrol, which would force them to give up their two training days a week. "That's their prerogative," he said. "It's a volunteer position." Black said the SWAT team averaged 100 missions yearly, with callouts including search warrants, high-risk arrests and the occasional barricade situation. It will take several months before a new SWAT team is trained. The Arizona Department of Public Safety will respond to any SWAT calls in the meantime. Black stands by the decision. "Management decisions aren't always the ones the rank-and-file likes," he said.