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Captain Dominic Flores
Operations Division South
March 2025
CSO Mendoza Wins Award
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On March 3, 2025, Operations Division South’s (ODS) very own Community Service Officer (CSO) Anna Mendoza was honored as TPD’s 2024 CSO of the Year!
No one in ODS was surprised by this announcement, as we are all very much aware of her outstanding commitment to serving the community, consistent dedication to teamwork, and excellence in all she does!
Congratulations to CSO Mendoza!
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Trespassing Leads to Outstanding Warrant, Narcotics Arrest
On February 27, 2025, Officers Frias and Soriano conducted proactive policing in the area of 9th and Irvington. They made contact with a male subject regarding trespassing offenses. A records check determined that he had an active felony warrant out of Cochise County stemming from narcotic sales. The warrant was confirmed, and the male was placed under arrest. During a search incident to arrest, officers located sales amounts of narcotics, including 820 fentanyl pills, 1.636 grams of methamphetamine, and narcotics paraphernalia. The male was booked into Pima County Jail on the warrant and narcotics offenses.
Auto Theft Arrest
On March 10, 2025, Sergeant Zaugra contacted TPD's Auto Theft Task Force (ATTF) regarding a located 2007 Infiniti G35 that had been reported stolen. The vehicle was located in the 5600 block of South 12th Avenue.
K9 Officer Rumsley was responding to assist while a hasty tactical plan was being devised to confront the three subjects who had been in the vehicle and were now on foot in a park. As the three started walking back to the vehicle, they were confronted. The male ran while the two females remained compliant. The male jumped into a backyard and then climbed onto a roof. He refused commands and started jumping roof to roof as he fled. Eventually, visual was lost of the male as he jumped down into a yard. ODS Patrol responded and helped contain the area. Officer Rumsley and his K9 partner Tango found the male hiding under a BBQ cover, with him suffering a dog bite to his right calf.
The male was booked into the Pima County Juvenile Justice Center after being treated at Banner South for the dog bite. He was charged with auto theft, burglary, and trespassing. The older of the two females was booked into the Pima County Jail on unrelated domestic violence charges, while the younger (her sister) was booked into Pima County Juvenile Justice Center for driving a stolen vehicle and burglary.
Organized Retail Theft Arrest
On at least six separate occasions, a male suspect shoplifted from a retailer in the 5100 block of South Calle Santa Cruz. The merchant's losses were over $10,000. An Attempt to Locate (ATL) and identify the suspect was distributed on March 6, 2025. ODS officers immediately identified the suspect, and on March 21, 2025, he was located and detailed.
The suspect was interviewed and the case was presented to the Pima County Attorney’s Office. The suspect was ultimately charged with one count of Organized Retail Theft and four counts of Aggravated Shoplifting.
Shoplifting, Fentanyl Arrest
From July 2024 through January 2025, a male suspect entered a retail store in the 5200 Block of West Calle Santa Cruz 13 times, each time selecting items displayed for sale and leaving without paying. The merchant's losses were over $5,000.
On March 21, 2025, surveillance was set on an address where it was believed the suspect resided. The suspect was observed getting into a Blue Nissan Versa (with a suspended license plate), in front of the residence. A traffic stop was conducted, and the suspect was positively identified as the rear passenger. He was placed under arrest for theft and shoplifting. During a search incident to arrest, 67 blue M30 fentanyl pills were located on his person. He was subsequently charged with possession of a narcotic drug and booked into the Pima County Jail without incident.
Aggravated Assault Captured on Video
On January 19, 2025, officers responded to a convenience store in the 6000 block of South Park Avenue regarding an aggravated assault. The victim was contacted by a male identified only by his first name on Facebook regarding items that the victim was selling. The suspect went to the victim’s residence and bought multiple items. When leaving, he took an additional item that was not for sale. The victim noticed the item missing after the suspect had left, and contacted him on Facebook, asking for the item back. The suspect agreed to meet with the victim at the convenience store, but was upset and threatened to assault him when he saw him.
Anticipating a problem, the victim brought his family with him to meet the suspect, who arrived in a tan GMC Yukon. The suspect threw the item at the victim and an argument occurred between the two, which was captured on cell phone video being recorded by the victim's son. During the argument, the suspect pulled out a black handgun with a tac light and an extended magazine and was seen on video pointing the gun at the victim multiple times before getting back in the Yukon.
A second suspect was seen sitting in the Yukon. Before coming into camera view, the sound of a rifle being loaded could be heard in the video. This suspect was then seen on video pointing the rifle (AK-47) at both the victim and his son. Before police arrived, the Yukon fled the scene.
The initial suspect was identified and, on February 20, 2025, ODS officers were able to determine where he was possibly living. A traffic stop was conducted and the suspect was located in the passenger seat. In the back was an AK-47 style rifle. The suspect was arrested and the rifle collected. Information was received that the suspect's brother (the second suspect) was at the residence. A search warrant was obtained and served on the residence, which was unoccupied. A Glock handgun with a tac light and extended magazine was recovered.
Later, the second suspect was contacted and interviewed. He admitted being in the vehicle at the time of the incident but denied pointing a weapon at anyone. Video from the incident shows him pointing a rifle (AK-47) at the victim. On March 25, 2025, he was booked into the Pima County Jail as an adult for one count of Aggravated Assault.
ODS Statistics
Activity
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Type
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2025 Division Year to Date
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2025 Department Year to Date
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Calls for Service
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6,093
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25,238
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Officer-initiated Activity
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1,413
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6,521
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Gun-related Crime
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10
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25
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Homicide
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9
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15
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Traffic Citations
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876
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8,360
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Staffing
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Type
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2025 Division Year to Date
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2025 Department Year to Date
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Sworn Members
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106
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808
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Community Service Officers
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29
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147
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Professional Staff Investigators
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2
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17
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Professional Staff
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2
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235
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ODS Celebrates a Milestone Birthday
 ODS Officers were invited to help celebrate Terry “Terecita” De La Rosa’s 90th birthday earlier this month. We were honored to be a part of the celebration! Her family followed up with us later by sending us a "letter of gratitude" for our "attention and loving expressions" to the birthday girl. It was our great pleasure to be invited – thank you!
Member Highlight
On December 6, 2024, Community Service Officer Mercadez Urias observed a call for service reference a GTA with a license plate number. The complainant in the call text was listed as a female, whose name CSO Urias recalled from a recent stop and arrest flyer. The flyer indicated that the female was suspected of Domestic Violence-Stalking and Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement. She was also listed as a suspect under six additional cases and had two active Orders of Protection against her.
CSO Urias contacted Officer Alex Corrales and alerted her to the 911 call for service regarding the complainant. Officer Corrales responded to the call along with Officer Tyree Pierson. In this scenario, it would not be typical for two officers to respond to a GTA. In fact, it would have been likely that a CSO would have responded alone. CSO Urias' situational awareness and attention to detail contributed to a peaceful resolution. Ultimately, the complainant was detained and booked for Domestic Violence-Stalking (F5) and Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement (F5).
CSO Urias is hereby commended for her outstanding service and commitment to the Tucson community!
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Crime Prevention Tip
Your WiFi router is a criminal's path to your network, your computer files, even your "internet of things," if your home's appliances and systems are connected to your network.
Unless you're an IT professional, securing your router probably doesn't sound like fun. But it is doable and more important – it's essential.
Both the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency) have instructions on how to do this. Set aside a time to learn how to secure your router and give yourself some peace of mind.
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March/April Events
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3/29, 6:30 - 9 pm
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Musical Star Night in the Peace Garden
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Manuel Herrera, Jr. Park, 5901 S Fiesta Ave
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4/5, 8 am - 12 pm
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Easter Egg Hop
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Quincie Douglas Center, 1575 E 36th St
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4/12, 8:45 - 10:45 am
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Easter Egg Hunt
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Sarah Ann Miller Park, 5433 S Oak Tree Dr
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4/23, 2 - 3:30 pm
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Trauma Informed Care Training
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Sierra K-8 School, 5801 S Del Moral Blvd
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4/26, 10 am - 2 pm
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April Drug Take Back Event
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Fry's Food & Drug Store, 1795 W Valencia Rd
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