Sierra Vista Company

Arizona Rangers Return to Douglas After 100 Years!

Douglas, the second Headquarters of the legendary Territorial Arizona Rangers, will soon have a Company of Rangers - after an absence of: one century! Born in 1901, Douglas and the Arizona Rangers celebrated their Centennials in 2001. In 1902, the original Arizona Rangers located their headquarters in Douglas, a raw, rough, and tough new town on the border of Mexico. After a few years, they left; moving on to Naco, another little town that had grown and gotten out of control.

Are there missions for modern Arizona Rangers in Douglas? You bet!

First and foremost, the modern Arizona Rangers are chartered as a non-profit, community service organization. Lots of great service clubs exist in Douglas, doing many good deeds for its citizens. We commend those organizations and will work together wit them in many cooperative ways.

The present-day Arizona Rangers will support local school activities, including dances, Proms, and graduations. Should a family need security at a wedding, a Quinsenera or any other private party, we are there. If the City of Douglas has a festival or other large-scale public event, there will be men and women of today's Arizona Rangers. In addition, however, they are chartered to support law enforcement agencies. The Douglas Police Department, like all police agencies is staffed  just a bit below where it would like to be. No department has the budget to hire as many officers as they would desire.

Enter the century-old Arizona Rangers. Trained in basic and advanced police skills, the Rangers are able to assist police personnel a providing necessary services that do not necessarily require a sworn peace officer. Rangers are trained in Traffic Control, Crowd Control, CPR, First Aid, Weapons Safety, Marksmanship, OC (Pepper) Spray, Radio Communications, Ranger Ethics, Hazardous Material First Responder, Crime Scene Preservation, and a variety of other useful skills. Arizona Rangers are able to assist at accident scenes, even if they are the first support available at that scene. If they arrive at a scene after a police officer, they are able to function under his direction until the scene is secured.

We love our kids, and will frequently assist police agencies in teaching at Safety Fairs, bicycle "rodeos," or in schools. Though we are a non-profit organization, we will donate our money, as well as our time, to support the youth of Douglas.

In the beginning, Territorial Arizona Rangers wore period costumes, refusing to wear uniforms. They didn't even wear badges at first, "busting" many gangs from within. Today, we wear bold uniforms and are well equipped to get the job done. Over time, you will see 21st Century Arizona Rangers working on your behalf. Black uniforms (sometimes with white shirts) and big, bold Western-style hats, will identify our non-paid members.