Unlike a chief of police, the Tombstone marshal can be traded out any time the mayor picks a new candidate and the council supports the replacement.

Tombstone changed marshals eight times in the last six years. Five of those times were in 2005.

With 3 out of 5 council members expected vote for a new marshal, Marshal Larry Talvy is subject to a repeat of history after a two-year run.

This begs the question: Is inconsistency in Tombstone law enforcement healthy for the community?

An expert says that it isn't.

Michael Polakowski has a Ph.D. in criminology, a master's in sociology and worked as a police officer for 8 years. He's now an associate professor at the University of Arizona in the school of government and public policy.

"The best thing for law enforcement is stability," Polakowski said.

He said an administrative job like the marshal's require a minimum 3 to 5 years to be effective. Any less wastes on-the-job training that administrators undergo before making impact on the city's crime.

The first year, he states, is a learning process. Even people who have worked in the department they take over will see there are huge differences when running it. They have to find out who the important players are in the city and they have to decide on the most effective strategies to fight crime.

In 2 to 3 years, the administrator will reorganize the department in order to tackle the city's problems. This process usually creates political enemies who want to see them removed.

No matter what, Polakowski said, even a chief of police can never be completely separate from politics. He also thinks it's important for the community to have the ability to intercede against a corrupt official.

He follows that, however, by saying if the position is controlled by the people with money or power it interrupts the ability of the department to run itself.

"The more you intersect politics with law enforcement, the less effective it becomes," he said.

Henderson does have a recommendation that takes heed of the marshal office's instability. He would like to make the position a 5 year term, starting with as effective a marshal as he can find. He wants to remove a marshal he thinks isn't good for the job while creating stability in the department.

Talvy does not believe he deserves to be removed.

"It's the politics of it and who likes you and who doesn't," he said. "I'm not perfect by any means, but I try to perform to the best of my abilities. I wanted to make sure that when I stepped out of this office the community can honestly say he was good because he took notice of what needed to be corrected in this town. I've done nothing to jeopardize this position, this Marshal's office or the city."