Guests – Randy Sutton Founder of The Wounded Blue, Alex Kolodin, Betsy Smith
A Critique of Local Law Enforcement: The Nancy Guthrie Case
In a candid discussion, Kathleen Winn delves into the ongoing Nancy Guthrie disappearance case, now approaching a month without resolution. The case, marked by tragedy and investigative missteps, has drawn national attention and calls for federal intervention.
Winn highlights the public's frustration, noting that many are pushing for the FBI to take over. "It seems like our sheriff probably didn't do everything correctly from the moment they got this case till now," she says. "And he seems to be wanting to stay in charge of the case."
Randy Sutton's Assessment of the Investigation
Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas police lieutenant with 34 years of experience and founder of The Wounded Blue, offers a pointed critique. As a law enforcement commentator who's followed the case from the start, Sutton emphasizes the importance of resources in complex investigations.
"The rank and file of the department, they're as good as it gets," Sutton asserts. "They know what they're doing. They're deeply involved in this investigation. But the reality is resources mean everything when it comes down to a complicated investigation like this."
He traces the case back to its origins as a missing persons report. "It originally came in as a missing persons case and it was treated as such," Sutton explains. Anomalies at the scene—such as blood evidence, a heart monitor, and a watch—quickly indicated foul play. "At that point, things should have been sealed off and the FBI should have been notified," he insists.
Sutton criticizes the sheriff's leadership, pointing to a lack of resources and poor decision-making. "He refuses to turn this investigation over to the FBI when he was clearly... doesn't have the resources," Sutton says. He recalls the sheriff's first press conference as "embarrassing," adding, "As a police leader myself, it was embarrassing to see the way he bumbled and fumbled through this."
Further issues include the premature release of the crime scene and failure to involve FBI forensics experts. "The FBI has the best forensic analysis and evidence techs in the country," Sutton notes. "Why not avail yourself when you know that this is a serious crime scene?"
He also addresses the crime scene processing: "When you're doing that, you're also contaminating the scene. So you have to weigh the differences here." Valuable evidence may have been lost, jeopardizing the case.
Disconnect in Leadership and Morale
Sutton points to a broader leadership failure in the Pima County Sheriff's Department. "There was a vote of no confidence that the police union had very short time period ago where every single deputy, except for one, voted no confidence," he reveals.
This reflects deep flaws: "You simply cannot have an agency that is as effective as it should be when you have a leader that is despised." He cites examples of vindictive actions, like reassigning the police union head to menial tasks.
The sheriff's attendance at a Wildcat game amid the investigation drew criticism, highlighting a disconnect. "Some of them had courage to come out and say, 'He doesn't represent us,'" Winn adds.
Sutton stresses that the focus should remain on the victim: "Everything has to be revolving around the victim and the victim's family here." He doubts the validity of ransom claims, calling them "red herrings" from opportunists, and urges prosecution of those involved.
Recent Assassination Attempt and Mental Health in Crime
Shifting to national events, Sutton discusses the recent assassination attempt at Mar-a-Lago involving a 21-year-old with reported mental health issues. "I don't know enough about it to characterize this," he cautions.
The individual was reported missing shortly before the incident, classified as "missing endangered." "There's usually a mental health component to it," Sutton explains. He suggests it resembled "suicide by cop," given the armed approach to a heavily guarded area.
"Once he's ordered to drop the weapon, he points—that's suicide by cop to me," Sutton says. He praises former President Trump's resilience: "This president, obviously the most assassination attempts ever president, and he still continues to get up every day and do the job."
Border Security and Illegal Immigration Impacts
The conversation turns to border issues and the human cost of illegal immigration. Winn shares stories of families affected, including those at a summit with Trump. "They feel that he has their back and they have the most horrific loss in their life," she says.
Sutton's book, Rescuing 911: The Fight for America's Safety, addresses the criminal justice crisis, exacerbated by events like George Floyd. "We have never recovered from it," he states. "This is part of the insanity that we're watching in the streets."
He describes mob mentality against ICE agents: "It's like they become wild animals." Officers face "moral injury" when ordered to stand down. "You know what you're supposed to do, but you can't countermand your own orders from your own chief."
Sutton recounts his recent visit to Minneapolis: "Every cop I saw had the thousand-yard stare." He ties this to broader anti-police sentiment starting under Obama, who criticized officers publicly.
"The police acted stupidly," Sutton quotes Obama, noting it shifted public dynamics and led to investigations accusing law enforcement of racism.
Challenges in Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention
Sutton highlights recruitment struggles: "This is part of the crisis in law enforcement." When he joined, there were 5,000 applicants for 100 jobs; now, ratios have reversed, with lowered standards in some cities.
"St. Louis gave a police test a couple years ago. Not one person showed up," he says. Bad leadership and political appointments worsen morale: "If they're abusing leadership... that's dangerous."
He warns of future misconduct: "With the diminishment of standards... we're going to see more acts of misconduct and corruption, which will then feed into the narrative that the left actually wants."
Prosecutors who don't prosecute compound issues. "We've been electing prosecutors that want to be social workers, not prosecutors," Sutton says. He blames figures like George Soros for funding "Trojan Horse prosecutors" to undermine the system.
Local examples include Arizona's Attorney General Chris Mayes and Pima County Prosecutor Laura Conover, nicknamed "Laura Conlover" by officers.
The Demands of Police Work
Sutton describes policing as cerebral and demanding: "You have to portray strength, resilience, compassion." Officers deal with people in crisis, shifting from horrific scenes to routine complaints.
He recalls his training role and article "Policing with Honor," which became a presentation taught to thousands. "History always repeats itself," he notes, warning against hiring unqualified people due to politics.
Randy Sutton on The Wounded Blue
As founder of The Wounded Blue, Sutton supports injured and disabled officers. "We are the national assistance and support organization for injured and disabled officers," he says. They've helped over 17,000 in seven years.
His personal story: A stroke in his police car ended his career. "I literally felt my brain slowing down," he recounts. His department denied benefits, leading to a court fight. "They were hoping I would die in the meantime."
This revealed a national issue: "Cops started reaching out to me from all over the country with these terrible stories." The organization addresses physical and psychological injuries, including PTSD.
"Our peer advocate support team... they're all guys who have been shot or stabbed or beaten," Sutton explains. Suicide is a "dirty little secret," with high rates among officers.
The annual National Law Enforcement Survival Summit in Vegas covers survival aspects: "I literally have had cops stand up and say, if it weren't for this conference, I was going to take my own life."
Sutton urges support: "If you support law enforcement, give what you can." Their 911 campaign asks for $9.11 monthly. "When people need help, they call 911. When the police need help, they call The Wounded Blue."
He promotes his podcast A Cop's Life and upcoming project with Betsy Smith. For contact: randy@thewoundedblue.org.
Reflections on Angel Families and Preventable Tragedies
Winn discusses "angel families" who've lost loved ones to illegal immigrants, like Marianne Mendoza's son, killed by a deported driver. "These deaths are preventable," she emphasizes.
Trump's support persists: "Even when President Trump wasn't in office, he never forgot these families." February 22 is now Angel Family Day.
Law enforcement was demoralized under Biden: "They were told to stand down and not do their job." This affected morale and suicide rates.
Voter Integrity Issues with Alex Kolodin
Alex Kolodin, candidate for Secretary of State, addresses Pima County's voter rolls. "The voter roles were in Pima County or the dirtiest in the state," he states.
A report shows 23,122 ballots returned as undeliverable or deceased. "These are the ones that got returned that the system actually picked up," Kolodin explains. He pushes for address confirmation to reduce stray ballots.
Federal law requires removing inactive or deceased voters, yet resistance persists. "What it is going to take to fully resolve the issue is a new secretary of state who will force Pima County to follow the law," he says.
This is his top priority: "To make sure that our voter roles are cleaned up." He warns of hacking risks, citing Secretary Adrian Fontes' admission of Iranian interference.
For ballot measures 184 and 419: "The GOP's observers... should insist on following the ballots that come back as undeliverable."
Kolodin criticizes mobile voting centers lacking observer space: "Not if they can't accommodate observers from every major political party... then they are not legal."
He supports Rachel Jones' bill for precinct voting: "That was what we had when I first moved here. And it worked really well."
Volunteers are needed: "We can have the best election integrity laws... but it's not going to do any good if we can't actually get volunteers to observe."
Opposition to RTA Ballot Measure
Winn urges a "no" vote on the RTA measure due to mismanagement. Republicans lead in returns at 11%, with most opposing.
The city is $67 million over budget, potentially $97 million if RTA fails. "That is a lack of willingness by the mayor and council to balance their budget," she says.
Ending the free bus system could erase the deficit: "We're going to give up our free bus. We're going to start to charge fares."
Betsy Smith on Community Engagement and Border Concerns
Betsy Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, reflects on the Lincoln Day Luncheon: "The energy in the room... I'm still getting compliments."
"Pima County is a really fun place," she quotes an attendee. "We might temporarily be run by the far left, but we're a bunch of happy warriors."
Smith praises volunteers: "The entire organization is volunteers... We all do it because we love this county."
On the border: "Mexico's on fire and we border Mexico." She criticizes Sheriff Nanos for recusing from the governor's task force: "Chris Nanos decided to recuse himself... Is Chris Nanos prepared for what is potentially coming?"
Recent cartel violence, including a leader's killing, led to chaos: "Americans were urged to get out of Mexico... This is something we need to talk about."
Sports and Patriotism Milestones
Winn shares a personal story from the 1980 Miracle on Ice: "I got to be there for that game... The feeling of patriotism and the love of this country."
The U.S. hockey team recently beat Canada 2-1, echoing the anniversary. "It took 46 years to give back."
The Wildcats basketball team is 24-2 after beating Houston: "We're headed to March Madness."
Call to Action for Pima County
Winn calls for involvement: "We have spots for 1,776 PCs... Each precinct committeeman gets 125 neighbors to communicate with."
Demand law compliance: "No county recorder, no county sheriff... should be allowed to circumvent the law."
Push for better leadership: "We want people to stop using their positions as some political stance... We, the people of Pima County, are willing to stand up."