A retired SWAT commander blasted Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos over his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case — and claimed that 98% of the police department gave a damning no-confidence verdict in the top cop’s leadership.
Former Lieutenant Bob Krygier ripped Nanos’ communication skills during a Wednesday appearance on the “Surviving The Survivor” podcast after his former boss claimed investigators were “definitely closer” to finding the missing 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to be on that semantics train,” Krygier said of Nanos’ appearance on NBC News Tuesday.
Krygier, who spent nearly 30 years at the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, scolded Nanos for botching the case.
“He is not the best one to deliver those messages most times,” the former SWAT leader said. “He gets wrapped up in his thoughts, he gets emotional. Even if he’s not getting pushback, he sometimes just repeats himself over and over.”
Krygier then claimed nearly everyone in the department believed Nanos wasn’t fit to serve as sheriff and emphasized the importance of strong leadership in the police force.
“We did a morale poll a couple years ago – 98% of the department gave a vote of no confidence to the sheriff for various reasons,” Krygier said.
“Think about that number,” he said. “We have roughly 450 commissioned officers. We’re not a small agency. This isn’t Mayberry. We need to do better.”
Krygier claimed that Nanos disregarded the troubling poll instead of asking how he could improve the department.
“He chose not to follow up with the unions and say, ‘Hey, how can I fix this?’” Krygier shared. “It just makes things more difficult than it has to be.”
The Post has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for comment on Krygier’s claims.
More than a month has passed since Nancy vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Feb. 1.
On Tuesday, Nanos made the bold claim during an interview with NBC News that “investigators are definitely closer” to tracking down the suspect or suspects tied to the mysterious kidnapping.
“We got a lot of intel, a lot of leads, but now it’s time to just go to work,” he said.
Nanos has come under growing scrutiny over his handling of the high-profile probe and has defended himself and the department.
He has also found himself in the spotlight during a string of rambling press conferences and provided conflicting information early in the case while speaking with individual news outlets.
Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie has tearfully pleaded for answers on social media and recently visited a makeshift vigil outside her mother’s home.
In a message posted to Instagram on Monday, Guthrie said her family could feel the outpouring of love and prayers from neighbors, the Tucson community and people nationwide.
“Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. Bring her home,” she said.
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