Rebekah L. Sanders

The Republic | azcentral.com

Two Arizona police associations want a GOP candidate for Congress to step down after comparing police officers who were carrying out a wildfire evacuation to Nazi SS agents.

Republican Gary Kiehne caused a firestorm with his police comments%2C as well as inflammatory remarks about illegal immigrants and mass shooters.

Kiehne said he will not withdraw.

Arizona police associations are calling on Republican Gary Kiehne to disband his campaign for Congress over remarks he made comparing police officers carrying out a wildfire evacuation to Nazi SS agents.

Kiehne, a first-time candidate in eastern Arizona's 1st District, has come under fire in recent days for a string of controversial statements about mass shooters, immigration and police.

The Arizona Police Association said its members were "deeply offended" and the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police said Kiehne had "lost any and all credibility" because of his inflammatory comments on the three subjects. The groups called on Kiehne to exit the race, following GOP opponent Andy Tobin's appeal for his withdrawal.

Kiehne's campaign denied the candidate compared police officers to German agents and declined to comment on the police associations' criticism.

"Considering that the (Arizona Fraternal Order of Police) letter is based upon a reporter's characterization of comments that the campaign strongly disagrees with, we are going to pass on responding to their letter," campaign spokesman Chris Baker said in an e-mail.

On Thursday in an interview with The Arizona Republic, Kiehne, a hotel owner, complained about the difficulty he faced transporting employees through police evacuation checkpoints during the 2011 Wallow Fire. He referenced SS agents, the Nazi paramilitary officers, and said he believed police officers at the Wallow Fire were willing to "shoot you and me."

Baker told The Republic on Monday that Kiehne was "expressing disappointment about the way the police had acted during the Wallow Fire."

Kiehne "always wondered how German soldiers in (World War II) could turn on their own people with martial law, but after seeing martial law implemented during the Wallow Fire, he understood how it could happen," Baker said.

"Never once did he compare cops to the (expletive) Nazi SS," Baker said.

Other statements have gotten Kiehne into trouble.

At March and April events, he compared Vietnamese refugees who legally immigrated after risking their lives to help the U.S. military to illegal immigrants. Kiehne said the reason more Vietnamese refugees didn't immigrate is "they couldn't swim that far."

At a candidate forum over the weekend, Kiehne claimed that "99 percent" of mass shooters were Democrats.

Kiehne issued a written apology for his mass shooters comment but not the others. He said he would continue his campaign.

The Arizona Police Association, which represents 14,000 law-enforcement employees, said Kiehne's comments were offensive.

"This is outrageous and beneath the conduct of someone aspiring to represent Arizona," Executive Director Levi Bolton, Jr., said in a written statement. "I expect Mr. Kiehne to apologize specifically to all whom he has offended and have the dignity to withdraw from his candidacy."

Kiehne's comments were "beyond the pale," said Sgt. John Ortolano, the president of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, in a letter to the GOP candidate.

"It's rare that a candidate for the United States Congress makes a statement as repugnant and offensive as your comments to the Arizona Republic," wrote Ortolano, whose organization represents 7,500 officers in Arizona. "We need adults in office, Mr. Kiehne. For that reason alone, you should terminate your campaign immediately."