08/22/2026
Standing Together for Our Members
I want to take a moment to provide some context regarding the recent issue involving chairs being removed from watch areas, but also to share a little history of what the ACA has worked to accomplish for our members over the years.
A History of Fighting for Our Members
Over the years, the ACA has worked on a number of issues that directly affected our members. Some of these were major victories, while others may seem small, but each one made a difference.
Supervisors: The ACA successfully fought to have supervisors moved from uncovered employees to covered employees, giving them representation and protections they previously did not have.
Pay: The ACA has consistently fought for pay increases for our members. While we may not have received every increase we requested, we continued to advocate for better wages, and we have achieved pay increases along the way. We believe our members deserve to be fairly compensated for the difficult and often dangerous work they perform.
Administrative Inquiries / DO 601: The ACA worked to uncover and clarify the issue surrounding Administrative Inquiries and DO 601. For years, many employees believed these inquiries were compelled. The ACA pushed for clarification regarding the distinction between compelled and non-compelled inquiries and brought this issue forward on behalf of our members.
This clarification is important because understanding whether an inquiry is compelled or non-compelled provides an additional layer of protection for an employee's Garrity rights and helps ensure employees understand their rights and obligations when participating in an administrative inquiry.
Watch Pod Chairs: Most recently, the ACA took action after learning chairs were being removed from watch areas.
On August 17 at approximately noon, the ACA received confirmation that the directive prohibiting chairs in the watch pods had been overturned following our request.
These are just some of the larger issues we have worked on. There have also been many smaller victories along the way—issues that may not make headlines or generate thousands of Facebook comments, but still make a difference in the daily lives of our members.
I don't share this to criticize any other organization or to claim we are better than anyone else. I share it because our members deserve to know what their association is doing when an issue affects them.
Our job isn't simply to make a post and walk away. Our job is to listen, investigate, communicate with leadership, present solutions, and follow an issue through until we can get an answer.
A Little History
I have been involved with corrections associations since 2000, beginning with AZCOPS Local 7077. When AZCOPS became AZCOPA, I became increasingly concerned that the direction and priorities of the organization no longer aligned with what I believed an association should be doing for its members. As a result, I made the decision to move to the Arizona Corrections Association along with its founders, who also left AZCOPA.
After nearly 27 years of involvement with corrections associations, I can honestly say I have never been more proud of an organization or a board than I am of the Arizona Corrections Association (ACA).
Our board members are volunteers. None of them are paid for serving on the ACA board. They give their time because they care about their fellow employees and want to make this Department better—not only for the public we serve, but for the men and women who come to work every day and put their lives on the line.
To every ACA member who places their trust in us: Thank you. That trust means more to us than you may realize.
To those who may be critical of the ACA, I sincerely invite you to reach out to us. Call us. Come talk with us. Stop by when we're conducting recruitment. Ask questions. We are an open association, and we welcome honest conversations and constructive criticism.
The ACA has been fortunate to experience several positive outcomes recently, and I am making a commitment to our members that we will continue working to build on that momentum.
We will continue to listen.
We will continue to advocate.
We will continue to find solutions.
And we will continue fighting for our members.
If you have a concern, please reach out to any ACA board member or visit ArizonaCorrections.org.
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
In this family, no one fights alone.
Barry DeFeo
