All right, Sheriff Lamb here. You probably recognize this guy more than you recognize me. This is Frank and we're doing that special edition of Fridays with Frank today. So, we're going to get a chance to pull some traffic stops. And man, I've got a ton of questions for you, too. Man, I am I'm looking forward to doing some traffic, introducing you to the motoring public of San Tan Valley here. Well, this ought to be fun. This is going to be a real surprise for anybody out there. People are going to get their hands full today when they get they get to approach you guys on a car, one on each side, one's me and one's you. So, I know one of the questions is, I'll just start right off the bat, why so many pens? Uh I write a lot of tickets and sometimes people's hands are are grody and I don't want that pen back. So, sometimes they they not only get a ticket from the Sheriff's office, but they also get a free pen because they're they're dirty and I don't want them back. it. I like it. Now, there's a a rumor going around that you're potentially from New York. Uh that is correct. Yes. which part of cuz the New Yorkers always ask me they're like, "Hey, he sounds like he's from New York. Which part of New York is he from?" So, I'm from Long Island, graduated from East Islip High School. My dad's a commercial fisherman on the South Shore of Long Island, still is. And so, I grew up on the water. Grew up on the water my whole life and then moved out here Arizona because it's just a great state to be in and I I love guns. And New York, obviously, with the the the political climate there is not very friendly to people that like guns. So, Arizona is a way better fit for me. It is the best place for guns. It is the best place for guns. So, what does your dad think of Fridays with Frank? So, he is he's 75, also strangely enough also named Frank, and uses a flip phone. So, he has to on Fridays he gets with a friend who has a smartphone and he watches Fridays with Frank through his friend um, because he's uh he's old school and can't watch it himself. But, he loves it. He He loves getting to see me in uniform, um, getting to see, you know, what we do cuz obviously I talk to him every day. And uh you know, so he he hears the stories, but it's nice for him to to hear the stories and then he actually gets to see it. So, he's he's absolutely loving it. Well, I know a lot of people love Fridays with Frank. So, you didn't start at Pinal County, but other than coming to work for the best sheriff, why did you come to Pinal County? Uh well, I had a uh I had a buddy who's actually my my partner, uh Chuck Schmiedlin, um, when I was looking for another agency to come to. He said, "Hey, Pinal County is is where you need to be." Um, he's know we worked together for 20 years, um, both both in the DUI game. So, uh we've taught together, we've gone to conferences together, uh taught, you know, took classes together and taught classes together. And um when he knew that I started looking for for somewhere else to go, uh um he he said, "This is this is where you need to be based on how much I love traffic enforcement." So, there's a lot of things fell into place for with this being um being the place to go. Well, it's been a blessing for us, too, to have Frank here at this agency. Brought a wealth of experience, does a great job. And it's fun. This is this is one of the places that in in law enforcement everywhere and um I I'm fortunate enough to get to to represent this agency, uh on a statewide level with teaching different DUI classes and talking to to cops and and troopers and deputies from all over the state. Uh I mean, from Navajo County down to uh you know, Yuma County and everywhere in between. Um, we still get to do our job here. We're still you know, we give warnings, we give citations. People need to go to jail, they go to jail. People need hugs, we give them hugs. Um, and we have the ability to and the discretion to to do what we feel is right on every traffic stop. And there are other agencies that don't get to do that. So, this is that's what makes this place special. Awesome. So, let's dispel a myth that I think a lot of people have and it's existed for a long time. Are you required do you have a quota of tickets that you are supposed to write? The number one thing that I love about traffic enforcement in this agency is we get to do what we think is right. That's that's the best thing that we can do. So, as long as you're doing and it's that's agency-wide, not only in the traffic unit. Um but agency-wide with every supervisor, there is no requirement to give warnings. There's no requirement to give tickets. There's no requirement for arrests or parking tickets or any of the stupid things that a lot of other cities mandate um that their their officers and deputies do. Instead, we just get to do what's right. So, um it's it and I tell people all the time they'll let me write as many tickets as I want. Um but we don't we don't have to do anything as long as we're doing something. Um so, you know, like I'm obviously I'm a traffic guy. So, I love the traffic game. But you know, there's some people that love dope and maybe they're not going to get a lot of traffic stops. And the traffic stops they get, you know, they're you know, maybe they're not going to write a lot of tickets. But they're looking for something. They're looking for a dope house. They're looking for, you know, whatever it may be. And they get to do that because they're still being productive. And that might not equate to some check mark on a on a stupid form that means nothing um except that you, you know, wrote a parking ticket to someone that, you know, probably just ruins their day and doesn't represent the agency well. So, um so, yeah, no no quotas here and uh we get to as long as we work, we get to we get to work on whatever we want as long as we get to work. Excellent. Now, what do your What do your peers We'll go We'll start with your peers from other agencies. Your Your prior agency. What do your peers think about Fridays with Frank? Um they love the fact that we get to do what we do here. Um they love the fact that we have the discretion to walk up to a car and say, "Hey, will you slow down?" "Yeah, I'll slow down." All right. Have a good day. That's it. No paperwork, no You don't have to, you know, run someone, put them in the system. You don't have to give them a a paper form that says, "Hey, if you want to complain on me, here's a form you can do it." Uh you don't have to write them a ticket or have to write them a warning. You can just inconvenience someone for the shortest amount of time, get your point across, like camping in the left lane. Pull someone over, say, "You know you can't just can't just drive in the left lane." Give that education and let that person go back home and do what they're going to do. Um so, they they love the fact that we can still do that here. We have the discretion to arrest people, book them in the jail, arrest people, release them, uh all of that. So, that I think the discretion is one of the biggest things that that they see. And the fact that we obviously have a sense of humor. Um a lot of agencies say, "Hey, there's not a chance that we could put the stuff the content that we put on on Fridays with Frank and stuff in the jail." The other agencies won't do that. They just don't have the um either they don't have the support of their command staff, the support of their citizenry, the support, you know, cities don't have the support of their board of supervisors uh or city council to do that. And we have overwhelmingly have that here from my direct supervisor, the sergeant, all the way up to you and everyone in between supports showing that we have a personality. And it's It is And I think it's needed in this profession. And I think anybody Most people see that I'm very unconventional in the way I like to do this job. And I'm a big believer though that you shouldn't pretend to do it one way and then be scared to actually show how you do it. And so this is part of the reason why we put all these behind the bars, Fridays with Frank, we did live PD, we did 60 Days In. Why? Because we want to show you what the job is and that we do it the same no matter what, whether the cameras are on us or not. Um and I think that's why it's it's important that that voice be out there because like you said, a lot of other agencies don't get the opportunity to do that. Or they choose not to do it. Yeah, and that's definitely true. That's one of the things that people that especially from my previous agency agency, guys that have known me for years, that have worked with me for for a decade or more. Um they know that I'm just me. Like whether I have I have the camera man in here and and we're doing traffic stops and I'm giving, you know, issuing citations or warnings. The verbage I use that's verbage that I've used forever. Uh there's no there's absolutely no difference in how I talk to people, in the verbage that I use, in the sayings that I say, um my approach to people, my tone, my demeanor, all of that is the same. And people are like, "That's just you." You know, my mom says it. "That's just you. I I know I've seen you say that before." Um so it's it's it's interesting that we we don't have to doctor this. Well, I'm glad you're willing to do it. Because not a lot of people want to do it, you know? Like cops don't always want the attention. And I'm glad that you're a good face for the this profession, the agency, and that you like to do it. I I mean that means a lot to us. So, and you do a good job. I I appreciate that. I when this was first pitched to me um I I think just like like every other cop I went, "Nah, I'm I'm I'm all set." And then they're like, "Hey, the sheriff really He this idea." I was like, "When do we start?" Like, that's that's it. As soon as you you put your stamp of approval on this, Well, I could tell right away that people were going to love it. And they do. Like, everywhere I go, people are like, "I freaking love Fridays with Frank. We need more episodes of Fridays with Frank." That's probably one of the biggest complaints I get. "Why are there not more episodes of Fridays with Frank?" I go, "Well, there's only one Friday a week, right? I can't make more Fridays." That's true. That's funny. And you know, they say in showbiz, always leave them wanting more, right? That's it. Hey, one one Friday a week keeps that up. It's funny. It's more and more now. Like, you know, pull up to get gas, people walk up and see you. Obviously, they This This is a unmarked Charger. This is not a undercover Charger anymore. This thing Everyone knows this blue Charger everywhere. So, how have you been dealing with the fame without fortune? That's what I call it. Fame without fortune. Because people, they want to take pictures with you. They're excited to see you. But there's no fortune that comes with There's no There's no fortune in it. Except I just get to work for this agency, which is which is the That's the best payment I could get. Um it's cool. I mean, it's I've taken pictures of people in gas stations, in restaurants. Um yeah, I've walked up to to cars on this road. Had someone pass me last week. Um Oh, I had the uh the lady that won the ride-along with me, Kathy. I had Kathy with me, and I walked up to the car, and the guy goes, "Hey, you're Mr. Frank." And I was like, Welcome to my world. That's how it is pulling traffic stops. You go up to chastise somebody, and they're like, "Hey, Sheriff Lamb, how's it going?" It kind of takes the sting out of what you were going to say, doesn't it? I gave that guy a warning and sent him down the road. I was like, I I've got nothing, man. I shook his hand. He was so happy to get pulled over by me. And I was like, "Well, that doesn't happen very often." You know, it's very very seldom where someone's like, "Man, I'm so glad you pulled me over." Which by the way, if we have any traffic stops, I'm going to need the jaws of life to get me out of this doggone front seat of this Charger, but we're going to do it. This is This thing is not It's meant for speed. It is certainly not meant for comfort. I actually had a lady yesterday pass me right here in the right lane at 72. Zipping through. I was like, "Good grief." She also She She Yeah, she had a uh she had a Wednesday with Frank. Um and it No nowhere near as entertaining as Friday. Now, what do your peers here say? Are they Do they make fun of you or they give you the business about it? Cops are cops, man. Anybody knows about cops, cops like to give each other the business. And I get the business. I I get it. Um and it's but overwhelmingly, there's a ton of support. There's a ton of support. Uh people say that they, you know, that that citizens that they're contacting just on calls for service, on traffic stops, um are asking about about me, if I'm working, if, you know, where I am, if, you know, if I'm really like I am on the videos. Um all of that. So, and it's it's more and more with how um how kind of the the Fridays with Frank franchise has grown. Um more and more guys are saying that that there's uh there's that positive contact with the community. Yeah. Um that's great. And it's it kind of in it increases that community contact in a positive manner. Uh which is cool. Yeah. Yeah, it's it's something that in today's day and age, um I think this agency is is very specific in how we deal with people, how we talk to people, um the level of service that we give people, and um and just the fact that we're human. And we don't have robots that, you know, that uh that work here, and we have personalities, and I think we this agency has a great gauge of right and wrong. And you know that you know when you meet that person needs to go to jail, you know it. You know it in your soul said this guy doesn't need to be out with my family on the road. And that's the person you book in the jail. It's it is just and the ability to have that discretion or stopping someone maybe for a pretty serious traffic violation that was just mindless and it's just it's an education thing and you know that that giving them a ticket would negatively affect their entire life. You know, especially people that that are barely paying their bills, gas prices have tripled or doubled at least. Absolutely. So all of that, you know, you should start looking at the economic times you know, that we're in right now that sometimes you know, a citation may really put someone upside down and being able to recognize that and say I can get this job done with a warning get my point across, correct their behavior and not negatively affect their entire life. I think it's it's important to have that and uh there's some agencies that don't including my my previous agency is you know, if you pull someone person over for 20 miles an hour over the speed limit you and write them a ticket, you better write the next person. And It's just not the way it's supposed to be. They might not be the same person. You know, there might be one person who's got 15 previous contacts and they're speeding all over the place and they're they're reckless and they're putting people's lives in danger and they're endangering you know, the citizens of Pinal County. That person needs that ticket. You might have someone that's just yelling at their kids and not paying attention has never ever had a contact with law enforcement ever before. Those those aren't Those people shouldn't be treated the same because they're different and it's totally irrelevant of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, whatever it may be. Sometimes they're just different people and you need to be able to look at that person as an individual and say, "You need a warning and I'm going to give it to you today." And I think that's that's one of my favorite things about traffic enforcement is we have that ability to do that. Which is the way it should be. Like I said. I I always found it weird or I don't know, maybe even almost a lack of leadership where people would say, "Hey, you need to give a ticket every time." or this or that because it doesn't allow it takes away the faith. Like I hired you for a reason. I hired you to do the job. I need to respect the way you want to do the job. As long as you're doing the job, that's the key thing. And you don't do anything illegal, immoral, or unethical and that protect the people's constitutional rights. That's about That's where our we set the line and then we let you guys work from there. And I think that allows you to do the job with the talents that you've been blessed with or given and and or developed and then it doesn't impede how you would do the job. Um and then that way I think we find the people that are truly good at this job or drugs or traffic or that because we've allowed them to develop themselves. A lot of city agencies keep mandate that their officers keep stats. We have to You have to account for every 15 minutes. You need to Yeah, so you end up contacting someone that otherwise you might not not contact. Pulling over a car, writing a ticket, writing a parking ticket um to someone that might not need it so you can put a check box on a form that that just shows that you can put a check box on a form. It's not doing the right thing. And and I think that that's that's something that uh that I love about about here and the culture that we have is guys are doing the right thing. Guys are putting people in jail. They say, "Look, this is a bad person. This bad person needs to go to jail." Or on the other side of that, this person really needs a hug. This person needs me to take 15 minutes and stand here on the side of the road and talk to them because they need that right now. I love it. Yeah, that's And that's what we asked for it from you. And that's what I love. That's why I think that people recognize that's how you do your job. That you bring the empathy to the job. And that's what's important. I mean, sometimes I'm empathetic less. [laughter] But, you know, that's that's the that's the nature of traffic. Hey, that's the way it goes sometimes.