Members of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) board have a full agenda for Wednesday’s monthly meeting, including rules waivers and and allegations that some former or current peace officers have violated the agency’s strict code of conduct.
Among the agenda items for the June 17 meeting are petitions -from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Douglas Police Department, and Hualapai Nation Police Department- which seek waivers of the qualifications necessary for appointment as a peace officer in Arizona.
The petitions involve two applicants who fail to meet the minimum requirements for certification, one who is seeking a “juvenile indiscretion” ruling for disqualifying conduct as a minor as well as experimental drug use, and one who does not meet the qualification of no illegal use a dangerous drug or narcotic, other than marijuana, “for any purpose within the past seven years.”
The Board has authority to grant waivers qualification or training requirements “upon a finding that the best interested of the law enforcement profession are served and the public welfare and safety is not jeopardized by the waiver.”
Wednesday’s agenda also lists cases of possible rules violations by formerly or currently appointed peace officers with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Cottonwood Police Department, Glendale Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Nogales Police Department, Page Police Department, Quartzsite Police Department, and Yuma Police Department.
The issues that bring Yuma PD Officer Matthew Woen before the board won’t be publicly revealed until after the members receive a briefing at the meeting. However, he is the latest in a string of Yuma officers to have their certifications reviewed for rules violations.
At the board’s May 20 meeting, the members imposed a six-month suspension on former YPD Officer Elena Carrillo, who resigned last year after driving an unmarked patrol vehicle while on-duty to track her husband to the residence of another female Yuma police officer.
Carrillo agreed to the suspension, which was retroactive to her November 2019 resignation. She had been an officer for six years.
Another Yuma officer’s conduct was also addressed at last month’s meeting, resulting in the board permanently revoking Aaron Goodrich’s certification. Goodrich left YPD last year after being investigated for recklessly driving at speeds of up to 80 mph in a 35 mph while off-duty and other misconduct.
Other recent Yuma PD cases that have come before the AZPOST board include former office Bobby Anthony Garcia, who is awaiting trial for sexual abuse of a minor, and former officer Jared Elkins who is serving a 20-year sentence in a California prison for a rape conviction.
One peace officer in Arizona who no longer has to worry about his certification is Deputy Logan Clonts of the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office.
Clonts, 22, agreed in March to accept a three month suspension of his certification after he disclosed conduct that violated AZPOST rules. However, at the board’s May 20 meeting, the members rejected the agreement and left the matter to the discretion of Clonts’ employer.
According to public records, Clonts was employed with the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office when he applied last year for a position with the Graham Cunty Sheriff’s Office. Clonts underwent a polygraph examination as part of the application process and was then that he disclosed his participation in a sex act in 2018 while on-duty.
The deputy received a letter of reprimand from his sheriff, but the misconduct was reported to AZPOST. A review found Clonts had engaged in conduct “that tends to disrupt, diminish, or jeopardize public trust in the law enforcement profession.”
Clonts agreed to a suspension, but after hearing from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and Clonts himself at last month’s meeting, the board unanimously voted to take no action against the deputy’s certification.
“Since Mr. Clonts was truthful throughout the process and stated he was not aware he was violating agency policy, the Board would prefer this matter be handled by the agency,” the meeting minutes read.