The Republican sheriff candidate argues that the disciplinary action taken against her is evidence that the leadership of the Pima County Sheriff's Department needs to change.

In what has quickly become a contentious race locally, Republican candidate for sheriff Heather Lappin held a virtual town hall last night, one of her first events since being placed on leave and silenced by current Sheriff Chris Nanos was convicted.

She said she was unable to speak about her internal investigation because of that gag order, but criticized Nanos' actions and said she wanted to “restore the integrity of the Sheriff's Department.”

“The sheriff can accuse me of anything he wants and I don’t have the opportunity to defend myself. It's a bullying tactic. Like I said, they cover things up or they silence you, and that was his attempt to silence me,” she said.

Lappin, a corrections lieutenant, was placed on leave for colluding with a journalist “to facilitate payment to an inmate in exchange for a news story,” according to the department's Oct. 15 news release. The outlet in question, AZLuminaria, publicly released text messages showing that the reporter had reimbursed an inmate $20 for the cost of a phone call from prison and asked Lappin how to do it.

Nanos said the silence order was due to an ongoing investigation by Internal Affairs, the division that investigates problems within the department.

A week before the election, Lappin advocated for “restoring the integrity of the Sheriff's Department,” which she said starts with the top leadership.

“We must focus on competence and character in our leadership, our people and every aspect of our department, rather than loyalty. When you are loyal to one person, your freedom of choice becomes political. Underhandedness is not only accepted, it is rewarded,” she said.

In terms of specific policies, Lappin advocated for expanding patrols, raising training standards and addressing staffing issues.

The number of deaths in the Pima County Jail became a recurring theme in Nanos' recent tenure, sparking widespread concern in the community.

When asked about the prison, Lappin said the deaths were due to a staffing problem caused by the current administration.

“We burned our people out to the max, forcing people to stay in prison and work double hours and go home, sleep four hours and come back and do it again. It was terrible,” she said.

She also called for more transparency.

“I’m proud of the work we do in prison. So why are we hiding something? What is there to hide? Let's get people in. Let's get the reporters in. I’ll give you a tour and show you anything you want,” she said.

Since her leave of absence, several Pima County Democrats have thrown their support behind Lappin, including District 2 Supervisor Matt Heinz, Tucson City Councilman Paul Cunningham and Arizona House Representative Consuelo Hernandez.

Heinz is also demanding that the board reprimand Nanos for possible election interference.

Lappin also said her campaign received nearly $30,000 in individual donations in the three days following her suspension.

If she wins, Lappin would be the first elected female sheriff in Arizona.