The Arizona Sheriff’s Association is raising concerns about reports that the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to law enforcement requests for help involving alleged violence, threats and property damage near a border-wall protest in Lochiel. In a letter issued Friday, association President David Clouse, who is the Navajo County sheriff, said state and federal law enforcement officials reported that requests for assistance had gone unanswered. The claims have not been independently established in the information made public by the association. Clouse said Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway had spoken publicly about directing deputies not to respond to calls connected to the protest unless violence was involved. The association argued that reports of possible crimes still require an appropriate law enforcement response, even when they arise during a politically contentious protest or involve federal operations. “The right to peaceful protest must be protected, but credible reports of criminal activity demand appropriate law enforcement attention,” Clouse wrote. The protest is aimed at stopping border-wall construction and has involved people occupying a cottonwood tree on the Mexican side of the border. On Monday, Border Patrol agents arrested at least 20 people and used a cherry picker to remove a protester from the more than 150-year-old tree before it was cut down. Clouse said Arizona law assigns county sheriffs responsibilities that include preserving the peace, making arrests and preventing or suppressing disturbances. He also said federal operations do not displace those duties, and that sheriffs retain independent authority under state law. If a county agency does not respond to a report, the Arizona Department of Public Safety may step in when warranted, Clouse said. He stressed that this does not automatically transfer all county calls to DPS. The association is prepared to provide personnel and other resources if DPS requests help, but said it would not deploy without a request. The association includes sheriffs from 13 Arizona counties. Hathaway is not a member; his membership was terminated after concerns about his standing, according to the association.