DPS shares what troopers look for during night patrols in Tucson

For Tucson residents driving late at night, Operation Desert Guardian means Arizona state troopers are conducting coordinated patrols around the city and nearby areas, looking for more than routine traffic violations. The operation focuses on drug smuggling, weapons trafficking and violent crime, while troopers also respond to dangerous driving and other activity they encounter on the road. A recent ride along with the Arizona Department of Public Safety offered a look at how officers decide which vehicles and people to investigate, and how those patrols fit into a broader effort that is operating despite a serious shortage of troopers statewide.

Trooper William Gallego, a 23 year law enforcement veteran who joined DPS in 2023, works with the department’s strategic priority squad. He said the unit concentrates on violent offenders, people involved in significant narcotics or gun activity, and individuals wanted on serious warrants. That focus is part of a multi agency effort involving DPS, the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Gov. Katie Hobbs created Operation Desert Guardian through an executive order in March 2025, directing agencies to work together in areas identified as having high levels of crime and violent activity.

The ride along showed that the work also includes decisions that begin with relatively ordinary traffic concerns. During the patrol, troopers helped detain a bicyclist who fled from another officer after being stopped for a civil violation involving a missing bicycle light. Troopers also investigated a motorist whose driving appeared erratic, checking whether impairment was involved. Gallego stopped one driver suspected of driving under the influence, but released that person with a warning after the investigation did not lead to an arrest. He said officers have to determine whether conduct points to DUI and, in some cases, may choose to remind a driver to be careful rather than issue a criminal charge.

Another stop involved a motorist traveling without headlights. The driver, who was frustrated after picking up her son, received a written warning. Those encounters illustrate the range of activity troopers may handle during patrols, from checking for signs of serious criminal activity to addressing basic roadway hazards. For people traveling across Tucson after dark, the patrols can mean encounters that begin with a traffic violation but may lead officers to investigate possible impairment, outstanding warrants, weapons or narcotics.

The operation is taking place while DPS faces what Jeffrey Hawkins, president of the Arizona State Troopers Association, described as the department’s most severe staffing crisis. Only about 480 troopers are currently assigned to highway patrol, responsible for 6,800 linear miles of Arizona highways. The department is seeking to fill about 500 positions. Hawkins warned that without hiring more officers, DPS could struggle to maintain freeway coverage in Phoenix and Tucson, two of the state’s largest and busiest metropolitan areas.

The staffing problem is especially important during overnight hours. Hawkins said Arizona is the only state in the western United States without 24 hour coverage from its state troopers, and that 13 of the state’s 15 counties no longer receive continuous DPS service. In the gap between late night and early morning shifts, a person reporting a wrong way driver, a crash, an intoxicated motorist or an injury may have to wait while an off duty trooper is contacted, gets dressed and travels to the scene. Hawkins said such a response could take more than an hour. For Tucson drivers, that shortage exists alongside the department’s effort to target dangerous and violent activity.

Departures from the department have compounded the problem. Hawkins said trooper morale has fallen as officers struggle to receive time off and are forced to cancel personal plans. Some troopers have moved into longer term investigative assignments, further reducing the number available for highway patrol. When staffing is thin, DPS has relied on other law enforcement agencies to respond to emergencies, even though those agencies are also dealing with shortages. Hawkins said the consequences could extend beyond traffic safety, potentially affecting cartel and money laundering investigations if more troopers must be removed from the roads.

Arizona’s system also faces training and budget obstacles. Hawkins said the state is the only one in the western United States without a dedicated trooper training academy and that DPS currently has one classroom for training new troopers. The department is entering a budget season shaped by a projected $1.7 billion state deficit, creating uncertainty about whether agencies will face reductions. Hawkins called for pay that reflects the risks of the job, noting that neighboring states have recently increased trooper compensation. California approved a 14.1 percent increase over two years, New Mexico offered an 11 percent raise, and Nevada approved a 23 percent increase.

Hobbs has said she is communicating with DPS about filling the vacancies and has granted the department an exception allowing it to continue recruiting troopers. The association is urging lawmakers and supporters of law enforcement to provide more funding, while warning that the department has reached a point it has never experienced before. People interested in joining DPS must be at least 21, be U.S. citizens, have a high school diploma or GED and a valid driver’s license, and have no felony convictions. In the meantime, Tucson’s night patrols continue under Operation Desert Guardian, with troopers balancing targeted enforcement against violent crime and the everyday traffic stops that can reveal immediate risks on local roads.