APACHE JUNCTION, AZ — Pinal County leaders are creating a task force to address illegal camping in the Apache Junction and Tonto National Forest area.
The Bureau of Land Management recently closed more than 1,000 acres of public land near Apache Junction to build a new recreation area.
Earlier this month, at the Bulldog Canyon entrance near Apache Junction, ABC15 saw the gate’s lock had been cut in half again.
Neighbors have complained the land is a hot spot for prolonged camping and illegal dumping with concerns about campers now going onto the national forest land and elsewhere in the community.
"Otherwise, it's a perfect, untouched landscape, and then all of a sudden, you get patches of what looks like it's a garbage dump,” said Ben Daniels, who was bicycling in Tonto the day ABC15 crews were in the area.
Residents said they believe jurisdictional issues led to inaction by the different agencies.
ABC15 talked to Pinal County District 5 Supervisor Jeff Serdy Tuesday, who said violators know where they are and they know that there are certain places where the camping rules will not be enforced.
“These boondockers, nomads… some are truly homeless, we want to help them. But some of them, it’s just recreational,” said Serdy.
Serdy said the BLM land closure in February dispersed many of these squatters into state and federal lands.
“The state land department has nine million acres and they don’t have any law enforcement. These folks understand that,” he said.
“People come in, they stay, they don’t leave, they finally get kicked out. And what they do, they go to other places,” said Dave Stanke, a Pinal County resident.
Stanke has lived near Apache Junction for years and says he saw a camper on fire a month ago near his home.
“There’s nothing behind us. We have state land behind us, so if the brush catches fire, this place is like toast,” said Stanke.
The statewide task force that Pinal County is looking to form would bring the different government agencies together to simplify rules and unify a response effort.
“We think that Arizona DPS should do the same and start taking care of their nine million acres. Right now, it falls to different sheriff’s [offices] and we don’t get reimbursed for it,” said Serdy.
Serdy says the Arizona Department of Public Safety, according to their charter, is responsible for taking care of illegal camping issues on state land.
ABC15 reached out to DPS and officials there say the issue falls to county sheriff’s offices.
DPS wrote in a statement: "Under Arizona law, DPS has absolutely no jurisdiction over state lands and illegal camping. If you are new to Arizona, you may want to check state law. All 15 counties have elected Sheriffs who are responsible for enforcing the laws over state and federal lands in their counties with the exception of tribal lands."
On state lands, camping rules require getting a permit and staying no longer than 14 days.
On Wednesday, ABC15 reached out to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to seek clarification on jurisdictional questions. They responded with a legal opinion written in 2002 by then-Attorney General Janet Napolitano:
“State, county and local law enforcement agencies have the authority and obligation to enforce criminal laws on State Trust land. This authority does not conflict with the Arizona State Land Department’s responsibility for the use, management and disposition of State Trust land and the State’s obligation to manage State Trust land in the best interest of the trust.”
ABC15 followed up with DPS on Wednesday as well and they told us county authorities need to put in a formal request with them first before counties can get their assistance.
Tonto National Forest officials also say nearly half of the incidents occur on state or private lands they have no control over. They will respond on federal forest lands.
Residents say these jurisdictional issues make it hard to solve their problems, and that is all they want to see in the end.
“It’s not fair for one agency to have to monitor and track and patrol these areas when they can all just come together and pull a few from each one and say hey, these are our hotspots, these are where we really need to emphasize,” said Marissa Soest, an Apache Junction resident.
