so what else is new?? cops lie. cops commit perjury, cops take bribes, cops steal. the only interesting, new novel thing here is the cops admit it! Original Article Tombstone marshal finds law in disorder He says office is out of control Susan Carroll Republic Tucson Bureau Feb. 2, 2006 12:00 AM TOMBSTONE - Deputies in this Old West city are accused of drinking on duty, lying in court and trading police protection and drugs for sexual favors from women, according to an internal memo by the local marshal. The memo by the newly appointed marshal, Lance Crosthwait, describes an out-of-control department, with evidence lying out in the open and sex toys stashed in drawers. The marshal charged that at least one deputy knowingly used a broken breath-analysis unit for months, leading to the conviction of several people for driving while intoxicated, and that other deputies lied in official reports. Crosthwait also wrote that one deputy promptly resigned, citing "personality conflicts" with the new marshal after being told that everyone in the department would have to pass a polygraph and drug test. "Nobody's doing their jobs," said Mayor Andree De Journett, who appointed Crosthwait about two weeks ago. "I mean, a filing cabinet with sex toys? What's going on there at night?" The memo is the latest in a series of controversies plaguing the Marshal's Office, which has had at least six marshals, most of them on an interim basis, over the past three years. The most recent interim marshal, Larry Talvy, was removed from the post last month, officially because he didn't live in the city. Rumors of Talvy's impending demotion prompted The Republic to file a public-records request on Jan. 4 asking to see his personnel file. City Attorney Ed Matchett said the city couldn't find the records. Crosthwait, a former Cochise County undersheriff, asked in his memo for an outside investigation into the Marshal's Office accusations, which have the potential to jeopardize criminal cases. Crosthwait was unavailable for comment Wednesday as gossip about the memo ran up and down shops along the city's picturesque main street. According to the memo: Based on Crosthwait's own observations and "verbal reports" of locals, deputies have been drinking alcohol on duty. Members of the Marshal's Office are "well known to have provided false statements and incorrect information in official matters." He based the allegation on the "opinion of various members of the legal community," according to court records and police files. There are complaints from women that "sexual favors were rendered" to members of the Marshal's Office in exchange for drugs or police protection or "freedom from arrest." Based on Crosthwait's observation and written reports from locals, some members of the Marshal's Office targeted locals for harassment because of their political or personal agendas. Crosthwait included a list of equipment problems plaguing the Marshal's Office, which has 11 members, including the marshal, a dogcatcher and a dispatcher. Some locals said Crosthwait's letter was politically motivated and yet another stain for this small tourist city in southeastern Arizona where Wyatt Earp and his brothers once enforced the rule of law. In the three-page memo, Crosthwait accused a member of the City Council of supporting harassment of locals by deputies. Crosthwait wrote that he is waiting to investigate the charges further "without the tacit and public support" of local elected officials and guidance from the city attorney. Anna Salcido, a city councilwoman who voted against Crosthwait, declined to comment. Other members of the council could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. Some locals who opposed the mayor and called him "an outsider" were angry that the memo, dated Jan. 20, ended up in the hands of the media before it was fully investigated. Shortly after De Journett received the memo, he walked it over to the historic adobe offices of the Tombstone Tumbleweed newspaper and gave a copy to its editor. "The mayor is out of line, and so is the marshal," said Dusty Escapule, a former mayor and arch political rival of De Journett. "Someone with no political affiliation needs to come in and investigate. "It's embarrassing for this little town. To say this whole town is corrupt, it's out of line." De Journett said he tried to call an emergency executive session to discuss the Marshal's Office, but there were not enough council members available for a quorum. De Journett, who recently survived a nasty recall election, also blamed politics for the problems at the Marshal's Office, saying infighting by City Council members made it difficult to get a qualified candidate in the marshal's job appointed. The marshal is appointed by and reports to the mayor but must be approved by the City Council. "Don't blame me," De Journett said. "If I had one qualified person instead of a corrupt person, we would have only had one (marshal)." He said the City Council "just wanted someone they can control." "I don't want control," he said. "I want professionalism." Reach the reporter at susan.carroll@arizonarepublic.com or 1-(520)-207-6007.