Summary: The deputies of the Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Office must be extra vigilant when traveling into the rugged desert south of Interstate 8, following the ambush shooting of deputy Louis Puroll and the shooting deaths of two armed gumen with ties to a Mexican drug cartel this spring. Sgt. Matt Thomas, motor supervisor and assistant SWAT commander, speaks exclusively with POLICE Magazine about patroling this hostile territory, detaining illegals and the ramifications of his state's tough new immigration law. PHOTOS: View our gallery, "How Cartels Smuggle Narcotics Into Southern Arizona."
