Civil rights and advocacy groups had asked Arizona’s governor and attorney general to stop a rule change they say lowers the bar for extremist organizations attempting to radicalize law enforcement officers through government-funded training.
By Isaac Stone Simonelli Arizona Center For Investigative Reporting Warnings issued by high-profile civil rights and advocacy groups to Arizona’s governor and attorney general failed to stop a rule change that effectively lowers the bar for extremist organizations attempting to radicalize law enforcement officers through government-funded training.
“We are deeply concerned by the possibility that this amended rule will open the door for Arizona peace officers to receive training from adherents of the ‘constitutional sheriffs’ movement and other actors who urge local law enforcement to assume authorities beyond those allowed by law,” wrote Mary McCord, the executive director of Georgetown University Law Center’s ICAP, a nonpartisan institute focused on constitutional rights and protecting democratic processes.
“If the revised rule goes into effect, we fear that domestic extremists, based on their previous actions, will rush to take advantage of the opportunity,” wrote Sarah Kader, community manager for ADL Arizona, a state-level branch of a national organization that combats hate groups in the U.S. Though he stressed the new rule was enacted under Hobbs’ predecessor, former Gov. Doug Ducey, Slater said the current administration “is working with the AZPOST to ensure we monitor the situation and use every available legal means to protect against extremists training law enforcement officers.”
ADL confirmed it did not receive a response from Hobbs’ office until after the rule change took effect, though a spokesperson indicated the group had “every reason to believe that the Governor’s office understands the concerns we have raised in our letters and is taking them seriously.” Slater said the Governor’s Office met with ADL, ICAP and SPLC but did not specify when.
A post-training audit stands in stark contrast to AZPOST’s previous role in preemptively safeguarding the quality of trainings: In 2021, for instance, AZPOST refused to approve a CSPOA program, later stating that it was in “direct conflict with our basic academy curriculum.” Three of the four letters also issued a warning about Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who has known ties to CSPOA and is the frontman for Protect America Now, another so-called “constitutional sheriff” organization.
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