TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- A group of residents in the town of Guadalupe have begun planning for a future without police service from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

About 90 people gathered Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to discuss law enforcement options for the town, which include creating its own police force.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has threatened to pull out of the suburban Phoenix town in six months after town officials complained about saturation patrols they say targeted illegal immigrants last month.

The sheriff has drawn criticism that the sweeps in three heavily Hispanic areas of metropolitan Phoenix, including Guadalupe, during late March and early April were thinly veiled immigration patrols fraught with racial profiling.

Arpaio has said two sweeps in Phoenix were prompted by business owners who complained of crime tied to illegal immigration, while the crackdown in Guadalupe was intended to combat a recent rise in violent crime - though one of his news releases noted that tensions were worsening between Guadalupe residents and illegal immigrants.

Organizers of Sunday's meeting, a group called United Guadalupe, asked residents to consider six options for law enforcement in the 5,500-person town.

Those options include using private security, creating a police department, contracting with Tempe or Phoenix for police protection or keeping the sheriff's office.

Residents attending the meeting roundly booed the final option.

"Do we need to talk about number 6?" asked Santino Bernasconi, an official with United Guadalupe.

"No!" replied most in attendance.

Arpaio said Sunday that Guadalupe officials can study law enforcement options all they want. "If they can find somebody else, that's great," he said.

Arpaio's position on staying in Guadalupe remains unchanged. "I'm not going to stay in any city where they tell me what laws to enforce and not to enforce," he said.

Even if Guadalupe goes in a different direction for law enforcement, the sheriff said he still has authority to conduct law-enforcement activities, including illegal immigration crackdowns, because the sheriff's office has jurisdiction across the entire county.

Arpaio added that he has asked Guadalupe's mayor to write him an official letter stating the town council's intention.

The town currently pays the sheriff's office $1.2 million a year to provide police service, plus $56,000 to house jail inmates arrested in the town.

After Sunday's meeting, Mayor Rebecca Jimenez said she welcomed public discussion about law-enforcement in the town. "The short-term goal is to get away from Arpaio," she added.

Jimenez acknowledged Guadalupe will mostly likely have to continue contracting for police services until its own department is created.

---

Information from: East Valley Tribune/Scottsdale Tribune, http://www.eastvalleytribune.com

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.