Steven Seagal, sheriff train Arizonans to guard schools

Actor Steven Seagal delivers a press conference Feb. 11, 2009, at the presidential residence in San Jose, Costa Rica. / AFP/Getty Images

Updated 10:55 PM ET

PHOENIX The self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff" joined forces this weekend with action movie star Steven Seagal to train volunteer armed posse members to defend Phoenix-area schools against gunmen.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced the controversial plan in the wake of the December Newtown, Conn., school shooting that left 27 people dead, including the gunman and 20 first-graders.

The exercise took place Saturday at a closed school site in suburban Fountain Hills, outside Phoenix, where sheriff's SWAT members acted as shooters and teenagers played the part of students during mock scenarios involving up to three gunmen.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, right, talks with actor Steven Seagal after a news conference Jan. 27, 2011, in Phoenix.

/ AP Photo/Arizona Republic, Jack Kurtz

Seagal, best known for his roles in movies such as "Above the Law" and "Under Siege," will lead training on hand-to-hand defense tactics, among other techniques, drawing from his expertise in martial arts, according to a sheriff's office news release.

Arpaio's office didn't respond to requests for comment Friday, and Seagal representatives also did not return telephone messages from The Associated Press.

When faced with criticism in January about the school posse plan, Arpaio snapped back: "Why would people complain about my posse being in front of schools to act as prevention?"

He boldly announced the plan on the grounds of an elementary school, saying at the time he wanted the patrols publicized.

"I want everyone to know about it for the deterrence effect," Arpaio said, adding that no taxpayer money would be spent on the patrols and volunteers will be supervised over the radio or telephone by actual deputies.

Arizona Democratic House Minority Leader Chad Campbell called the plan to use Seagal as an instructor "ludicrous."

"Steve Seagal is an actor. That's it. Why don't we also have Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis come out and train them too while we're at it," Campbell said.

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Campbell has been a vocal critic of Arpaio's school posse protection plan, complaining that using untrained, armed civilians to protect students is a bad idea and likely will only make the facilities more dangerous.

"He's making a mockery out of it. You're having a movie actor train people how to protect schools?" Campbell said.

Randy Parraz, president of Citizens for a Better Arizona, also a longtime Arpaio critic, said it's unfortunate the sheriff, known nationally for his tough stance on illegal immigration, is using the "wake of a tragedy like Newtown" to grab headlines.

"We'd like to think he would take something like this much more seriously," said Parraz, who added that his group planned to be at Saturday's event with petitions to recall Arpaio.

The patrols were launched at 59 schools in January throughout unincorporated areas and communities that pay Arpaio's agency for police services. The sheriff announced this week he needs more members to continue the patrols, calling for 1,000 additional citizens to step up and volunteer.

Current posse members already are used to bolster the sheriff's office force by providing police protection at malls during the holidays, directing traffic and transporting people to jail.

Arpaio even sent one group of posse members to Hawaii to conduct an examination into the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate.

Joselyn Wells, a mother of three children at a school in suburban Phoenix, where Arpaio's posse has begun patrolling, said she was excited to hear about the initiative.

"A lot of people sit around and watch these things happen, watch key signs and no one wants to do anything about it," she said when Arpaio announced the plan. "Nobody wants conflict, nobody wants to be out in the limelight. And he doesn't care. He wants to do the right thing."

Andrew Sanchez, however, a town council member in Guadalupe, said he wants nothing to do with posse members patrolling schools in his community, which spends about $1.2 million annually for Maricopa County sheriff's patrols.

"We are paying him to have certified deputies here, not to bring a circus and not to use our town as a political platform," Sanchez has said.

The volunteers, dressed in uniforms and driving patrol vehicles, some authorized to carry guns after training, won't go onto school grounds unless they spot danger, but will instead patrol around the facilities, Arpaio said.

Seagal is already a volunteer posse member in Maricopa County, and has been deputized with sheriff's offices in New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana, where a film crew followed the actor on ride-alongs with Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies for the reality TV show "Steven Seagal: Lawman."

Arpaio says other notable people also have joined his more than 3,000-strong volunteer armed posse, including "The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno and actor Peter Lupus of TV's "Mission: Impossible."

[honeybee1983]

Totally awesome!!! I wish my son's school could have these guys patrolling,I would never have to worry about my son's well being at school if this were the case!!! KUDOS to Steven Seagal!!!!

[AKITAKATO]

LOOK PEOPLE SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THE MAN IS AN ICON TO ALL COMMUNITIES AND CARES, JUST LIKE THE ARMY DISCHARGING NTHE SOLDIER WHO POSTED HIMSELF OUTSIDE THE NEARBY SCHOOL. ITS ALL ********, AND THE ONES WHO DON'T WANT IT ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE THEIR KIDS PROTECTED IN OTHER SCHOOLS WITH BODY GUARDS AND ****.

[off-topic]

While I applaud the sheriff's motives--to keep children safe--I do have to agree with the congressman about using an ACTOR(?) to train the deputies. If there were to be an incident, they can't yell "cut" and "retake" if they make a mistake. Using firearms to safely protect all the children without killing some of them in the process is a whole lot different than using martial arts, and not everybody has the coordination and/or strength to learn effective martial arts. It's just sad that it's come to the point we have to post armed guards around schools to ensure children have a chance to learn in safety.

[rds4790]

Seagal was actully a martial arts instructor for many years before he began acting and ts my understanding he still teaches

[TimeToEvolve]

Maybe Steven thinks he is in another hero, shoot em up movie. Maybe we get volunteer housewives to man the security at the schools because we certainly don't have the revenue to pay for actual professional security people.

[off-topic]

Actually if the "housewives" you refer to were the mothers of the children in the school they were protecting, you could be surprised at how effective they were at protecting their children. Remember, never endanger a mama bear's cubs.

[kirbang]

While Mr. Seagal was a high ranking Akido practitioner it was when he lived in Japan. About 100 years ago. It doesn't appear to be a fit man today and all martial arts require a fair amount of physical fitness to execute. When I was 20 I achieved a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. My instructors were two 5th degree and a third degree black belts. All extraordinarily fit. As the years have added weight and stiffness I can still visualize the kata and execute (albeit slowly) kicks and strikes I would not like others to depend upon my training them for their well being. Mr. Seagal was POST certified. I am not certain if he still is, But I don't these "guards" are not. My real estate partner is actively certified by our local Atlanta PD. He must qualify several times per year at the range to keep his permit to carry as an officer. Will these "guards" also train and be expected to qualify periodically. I again doubt it. I am not against the premise but the devil is in the details and qualifying and managing these volunteers is not a one time thing.

[LogicalMartialArtist]

There are SOOOOO many things wrong with this approach, not to mention the article. Not thrilled with the fact that Seagal's martial arts history is not discussed (as well as Chuck Norris') because well, THAT explains why he's training, but hey, the less informed you are, the more idiotic you look. That being said... what kind of background checks are being done on the volunteers? Because guess what? If you DON'T do psych or criminal background checks you're going to end up with patriarchal misogynistic morons "protecting" schools, not to mention a legal nightmare from HELL. The same idiots that are going to be hitting on the high school females they are SUPPOSED to be protecting. How is this sheriff making sure the volunteers AREN'T pedophiles? How are they making sure the volunteers aren't or have never been sex offenders, people with short tempers who have NO problem with aggression (Ferrigno, for example, wow, NOT the best choice, seriously.) or confrontation (hello, look up what misogyny MEANS)? WHAT THE HECK IS THIS GUY (and Seagal, quite frankly... grrrrr because I've looked up to him as a martial artist for a LONG time) thinking? Above the law is right and obvious in this way of thinking. OY

[RichardoMontlebahn]

Let Chad Campbell fight Seagal!!

He will then know why he is Qualified to train. Yes he is an actor but he is also a 7th Belt in Aikido. (ie. 7 levels of kicking smarthmouth's butts up around their necks)

[TimeToEvolve]

The majority of people in Arizona appear to be anti-tax. The gun problem is a direct result of Reaganomics and cutting taxes on the rich. We stopped funding public education and failed to address our mental health problems. And thus we have rampant and increasing gun violence.

[superfly885]

The moon landing was fake, JFK is really living with Elvis and TuPac is my neighbor... Gotta go, Jimmy Hoffa is coming over for dinner!

[TimeToEvolve]

You can't make up this simple Republicon mentality, can you?

[knsn_for_cmn_sense]

The things you say we have. We only have through sacrifice and hard work.