Pima County thanks PCSD for their continued efforts in a westside neighborhood

For residents of Eagle Point Estates, a westside neighborhood near Valencia and Vahalla, the question is whether recent law enforcement attention will make their homes feel safe again. Neighbors have reported illegal shooting and off-road riding in the desert near the community, and some say gunfire has returned as patrols have become less visible. Pima County officials and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department say they have made progress, but both acknowledge that the response is not finished.

Pima County District 5 Supervisor Andrés Cano visited the PCSD Westside San Xavier Substation on Wednesday with pizza for deputies. The gesture was intended to recognize their work after residents brought forward concerns about gunfire and people entering the surrounding desert on foot, in all-terrain vehicles and in other vehicles. Cano said he understands isolated incidents may continue, but wanted to mark the progress made in fewer than four months.

According to Cano, deputies and other law enforcement personnel have issued more than 500 citations and sent out more than 70 mission-oriented policing units to Eagle Point Estates. He said the effort has also opened an ongoing conversation between county officials, law enforcement and residents about public safety in southwestern District 5. Cano emphasized that the county’s work is continuing, including an evaluation of neighborhood access points where permanent barricades could be installed.

Those barricades would be intended to limit traffic into the desert and reduce access for people riding ATVs or driving vehicles into the area. Cano said the county’s Department of Transportation will work on the access issue over the next several months. The effort follows a decision by the Arizona State Land Department to close state trust land in the area to recreational use after neighbors described repeated problems involving shooting and off-road activity.

The neighborhood’s concerns became especially urgent in March, when a bullet went through a couple’s home in Eagle Point Estates. Residents brought their concerns to Cano on April 7. On April 30, Cano held a community meeting with the Sheriff’s Department and the Arizona State Land Department. After that meeting, the state land agency closed the trust land to recreational use, and in May PCSD began Operation Desert Silence to enforce the restriction.

The initial response brought relief to some neighbors. A May report described westside residents as happy with sheriff’s patrols and a lack of gunshots. But by July, residents said gunfire was continuing despite the crackdown. The latest accounts show a neighborhood that recognizes the improvement while remaining concerned that the enforcement effort could lose momentum.

Pete Smith said he has heard shots from his backyard several times in recent weeks. He described standing near a wall and holding up his phone in an attempt to record the sound. Smith said that over a two-week period he had gone outside three times after hearing gunfire from the direction of the desert. In one incident, he said he called 911 at about 7 p.m. and called again closer to 8 p.m. because he had not received a response. Smith said a deputy eventually arrived after the gunfire had stopped, and he invited deputies to come to his backyard during a future incident so they could hear it themselves.

Sheriff Chris Nanos said residents should continue reporting suspected violations and not assume that their calls are futile. He said PCSD remains engaged and has committed substantial resources, including a special enforcement team that was recently expanded in the area. The department says it deploys personnel to the problem area on weekends, and it plans to send the special enforcement team to the state land near Eagle Point Estates over Labor Day weekend.

For some residents, however, the schedule and consistency of that coverage are just as important as the number of citations issued. Neighbor Jeremy Raymond said conditions have improved, but he wants clearer communication from county officials and more reliable follow-through. He said residents notice both the law enforcement response and the times when there is no response or communication. Raymond suggested that coverage from roughly 10:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. from Friday through Sunday would be especially useful because that is when he most often hears shooting. The county’s acknowledgment of progress, alongside residents’ reports of renewed gunfire, leaves the neighborhood waiting to see whether weekend enforcement, continued reporting and planned access controls can produce a lasting change.