Report: Over 1,100 Arizona police officers banned from their jobs

PHOENIX — A report released last week shows more than 1,100 Arizona police officers have been banned from their jobs since 1975.

USA Today compiled a list of public records from 44 states from as early as 1963 showing the officers’ agencies and offenses that led to their decertification.

The report shows that drug and alcohol abuse was the most common violation for the more than 30,000 decertified officers nationally, followed by assaults and violence.

USA Today found records for nearly 23,000 investigations of excessive force, more than 3,100 allegations of rape and other sexual misconduct, and more than 2,300 cases of domestic violence.

Thousands of police officers are investigated for everything from assaulting citizens to lying in court, but their pasts are kept secret. We're making public the largest trove of police misconduct records ever, starting with 30,000 cops banned by 44 stateshttps://t.co/Pqtg3Sn9aB

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) April 25, 2019

Offenses committed by Arizona officers included presuming an individual was dead when he or she was not, giving a dog owned by a deceased person to a firefighter without authorization and engaging in sexual activity while on duty.

Most of the decertified officers appeared to have been a part of the Phoenix Police Department or the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

“MCSO’s internal investigation polices hold our deputies and detention officers accountable,” MCSO spokesman Calbert Gillett said in a statement to KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

“Our authority comes from the community, so it’s essential that they be able to trust that our deputies and officers are acting ethically, professionally, and within the law.”

The Phoenix Police Department referred KTAR News to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which did not immediately return a request for comment.

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