Burglary suspect shot by deputy in Tempe dies

 A Tempe cop yelling at bystanders to leave

A Maricopa County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a burglary suspect Thursday along the canal that separates Tempe from Guadalupe.

The Sheriff's Office was assisting Tempe police, who were looking for suspects in a burglary in a nearby neighborhood earlier in the morning.

The man who was shot was identified late Thursday afternoon as Joel Smith, 19. Smith was pronounced dead after he was taken to Maricopa Medical Center for treatment.

Deputy Jeff Sprong, a Sheriff's Office spokesman, said Smith was armed with a knife.

Two women who live nearby in Guadalupe said they heard shots and ran outside to see what was happening. They said Smith appeared unarmed as he walked toward the deputy.

"You could tell he had nothing in his hands," said Sandra Reyes, who was worried that her great-grandchildren would be hit by the gunfire. "It looked like he was trying to surrender."

Sabrina Garcia told a similar version, saying, "He wasn't trying to attack the cops."

But Sprong said the women were mistaken and that the shooting was also witnessed by several Tempe police officers.

"The incident as explained to you by neighbors did not happen," Sprong wrote in an e-mail.

"He did threaten our deputy. Our deputy did shoot that individual," Sprong said. "This deputy obviously felt his life was in danger."

Sprong did not release the deputy's name but described the deputy as a "seasoned veteran," adding, "this isn't something he wanted to do."

The burglary occurred about 9 a.m., less than a mile from the shooting scene, along the South Branch Highline Canal, west of Hardy Drive and Guadalupe Road.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/20120913tempe-shooting-maricopa-county-deputy-involved-abrk.html

Did Tempe cop Aaaron Smith steal from you?

If you were pulled over by a Tempe cop you might recognize this cop's mug shot, officer Aaron Smith resigned today after being caught in a sting after police property went missing. He also took cash off an undercover detective who set him up.

From the AZ Repulsive:
A Tempe police officer has resigned after more than seven years with the department after admitting to having stolen police property and cash, according to the Tempe Police Department.

Former patrol officer Aaron Smith was taken into custody Saturday morning near Dobson Road and Southern Avenue after a month-long internal investigation, according to Tempe Police spokesman Lt. Mike Horn. He faces charges of theft, burglary and tampering with physical evidence, Horn said.

Police supervisors had begun receiving reports of missing items -- including two police bicycles, an equipment case, and money -- in early July. On July 20, about $750 reportedly disappeared from a petty-cash lock box. Smith had access to the areas where the property disappeared, and his swing-shift hours matched up with when the items went missing, Horn said.

On July 26, an undercover detective gave a purse with $142 in it to Smith, describing it as "found property." By the end of the workweek, Smith still hadn't impounded or processed the money, Horn said. Tempe detectives found the stolen bikes and purse when they served search warrants at Smith's home, vehicles and work locker Saturday.

Following the arrest, Smith admitted to stealing the property and the roughly $1,000 in cash, saying he was under extreme financial hardship, according to Horn.

He had reportedly given the bicycles to his children as gifts. Police believe Smith acted alone.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2012/07/28/20120728tempe-police-officer-resigns-theft.html

Ex-Tempe policeman sentenced in theft case

A former Tempe police officer has been sentenced to probation for stealing items from the department's property and evidence facility.

Authorities say Elliot Campbell was arrested in May and resigned after 11 years on the force.

Maricopa County prosecutors say Campbell was sentenced Friday to two years' probation for theft of a credit card or obtaining a credit card by fraudulent means. He also was sentenced to a concurrent two-year probation term for tampering with physical evidence.

His work vehicle was searched by Tempe investigators and evidence envelopes were located that contained impounded gift cards.

A search warrant was served at Campbell's home. Police found a refrigerator, men's wrist watch and some tools that had been checked out of the property and evidence facility.

http://www.kpho.com/story/15768292/ex-tempe-policeman-sentenced-in-theft-case?utm_source=va&utm_medium=rec&utm_campaign=content

Former Tempe Cop Elliot Campbell Pleads Guilty to Stealing Evidence -- Including a Refrigerator

A former Tempe cop accused of stealing evidence from the agency's evidence room -- including a refrigerator -- has pleaded guilty to reduced charges.

Initially, former Tempe Officer Elliot Campbell was booked on two counts of theft of a credit card, 10 counts of tampering with evidence, and one count each of forgery, burglary, and theft. He pleaded guilty this morning to attempt to commit theft of credit card obtained by fraudulent means, and tampering with physical evidence.

Campbell, an 11-year veteran, was arrested in May after an investigation revealed he looted the department's evidence room and used the items he stole -- including several gift cards to various retail stores -- for a little home improvement.


The Arizona Registrar of Contractors Office began investigating Campbell in April regarding his performing contract work without a contractor's license.

The investigation revealed that Campbell was driving on a suspended license. He was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which ultimately found he'd also been stealing evidence.

During the course of their investigation, authorities searched Campbell's squad car and found envelopes checked out of the department's evidence room in March 2008. Additionally, detectives found that Campbell also had checked out a refrigerator, a clothes washer, a watch, and some tools from the evidence room. He told employees in the evidence room he was planning to return the items to their owners, which is why he was allowed to take them.

It was later determined that the gift cards Campbell had checked out of the evidence room were used at Costco and Target stores near the officer's home. A search of his house turned up the watch and the refrigerator. The washing machine, Campbell later told police, was given to a friend.

Bill Richardson is a former Mesa detective who is often critical of the Tempe Police Department. He says Campbell never should have been permitted to remove the items from the evidence room in the first place.

In a letter to Tempe officials, Richardson wrote the following:

In all my years of experience and being involved in hundreds and hundreds of felony criminal cases I have never ever taken evidence out of the property/evidence division and personally returned it to a victim. I have never heard of such a thing. It is the duty of the property/evidence custodian to dispose of evidence and seized property not an officer involved in the case.
That said, if there are lose procedures in the property/evidence division of the Tempe PD there maybe other problems relating to misappropriated property and evidence. Phoenix just uncovered a case where a detective was purportedly taking drug evidence to court when he was using the drugs himself. Lax rules, lax supervision lead to police corruption.
When you discover one dirty cop you have to figure there are others who are exploiting the system.

Following his arrest, Campbell resigned from the department. His sentencing is scheduled for October 21.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/09/former_tempe_cop_elliot_campbe.php

Tempe Police "Party Patrol" Brutalize ASU Golfer, Harass His Friends on Facebook, According to Lawsuit

Next time you're partying at Arizona State University, consider Noah Frochtzwajg, ASU student and aspiring golfer.

He was enjoying the company of friends at 2 a.m. on Sunday August 29, 2010, when the Tempe Police came knocking at his apartment.

Frochtzwaig saw two officers and opened the door to let them in. Once he opened the door they stormed the room with three more officers and knocked him to the ground.

From there, they handcuffed him, forced his friends to leave "one by one," and laughed at him, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court against the Tempe Police Department yesterday.

After 30 minutes, the police officers uncuffed Frochtzwaig and released him without pressing charges. Frochtzwaig addressed a complaint to Tempe PD's Internal Affairs office -- but then the sergeant in charge of the investigation started harassing his friends on Facebook with "personal and embarrassing questions."

The complaint further alleges that Tempe Police employs a squad of police officers known as the "Party Patrol" whose job is to go around shutting down parties.

But, the complaint alleges, their job isn't "simply [to] disrupt parties whose noise, etc., exceeded legal boundaries, or where underaged drinking had been established."

It's to "raid any student social gathering."

The complaint calls the police's actions "heavy handed and needlessly forceful," claims numerous abrasions and injuries to Frochtzwajg's body, and damage to his golf career.

He was going to attend the PGA's qualifying school last year when this incident occurred, causing harm to his career, according to the complaint.

"Golf was Mr. Frochtzwajg's first love, and the injuries have caused significant loss of enjoyment of life," it reads.

The complaint alleges nine counts, including unlawful civil rights violations, assault, battery, and wrongful imprisonment. It seeks unspecified amounts in damages.

Tempe Police Department Sergeant Steve Carbajal declined to discuss the pending litigation, per department rules.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/05/tempe_police_party_patrol_brut.php

One year later: Tempe police officer's certification revoked

A state board has revoked the certification of former Tempe Officer David French, a retired Marine gunnery sergeant who had served five combat tours and was said to be suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

French, 41, fled from Surprise police after a chase last July and was subsequently charged in absentia with Unlawful Flight from a Law Enforcement Vehicle, a felony. French, a 20-year Marine veteran who was in the midst of a divorce, led a squad in a deadly battle of Fallujah, Iraq, according to reports.

He is believed to have left Arizona.

By revoking French's certification, the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board last week banned him from ever serving as a police officer in Arizona again.

French's wife recently told police her husband had been drinking heavily, was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and was armed with two guns.

On April 24 2010, French resigned from the Tempe Police Department in lieu of termination after he reported to duty after drinking.

The report says that French had a heavy smell of alcohol on his breath on April 22, 2010. A civilian employee reported it, and Sgt. Mike Carleton also smelled the alcohol.

French told Carleton he had been "drinking heavily" after his previous shift ended. A breath test administered to French registered at .038. Any alcohol in an on-duty officer's system is prohibited.

He had also failed to report to work one day in January 2010 without contacting the department, AZPOST report says. French later told authorities he was "engrossed in resolving marital difficulties" that day.

On July 1, French fled from Surprise police after they tried to pull him over for erratic driving, the report says. French sped up and cut off cars and drove into traffic, the report says.

A Surprise officer estimated French was traveling 60 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood.

Attempts to find French have not been successful.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2011/05/23/20110523tempe-police-officer-certification-revoked0525.html

Tempe police detective accused of stealing evidence

Tempe police arrested one of their own Tuesday, an 11-year veteran accused of stealing lucrative items from the evidence locker, taking money to remodel a woman's kitchen and abandoning the job and driving with a suspended license.

Police Detective Elliot Campbell resigned his position Tuesday after being arrested on suspicion of two counts of theft of a credit card, 10 counts of tampering with evidence, one count each of forgery, burglary and theft, police said.

The alleged crimes came to light in April, when Tempe police learned that the Maricopa County Attorney's Office had charged Campbell with operating without a contractor's license in connection to a Scottsdale woman's kitchen renovation, said Tempe police Sgt. Steve Carbajal.

Campbell had begun the demolition phase of the kitchen but didn't complete it, prompting the woman to complain to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, Carbajal said. The county attorney is also investigating whether Campbell wrote bad checks, Cabajal said.

Tempe investigators began looking into Campbell's work and found his driver's license had been suspended after failing to appear for a radar citation he received in Mesa. Campbell was placed on administrative leave on April 6, and as the investigation continued, was put on unpaid leave on April 22.

Investigators discovered that Campbell had been taking evidence items from the Tempe Police Property Facility, saying he was returning them to their owners, Carbajal said.

The items included Costco and Target gift cards, which were used near Campbell's Gilbert residence, police said.

A search of Campbell's Gilbert residence uncovered a refrigerator, a watch and tools he also checked out of the evidence room, Carbajal said.

Campbell was placed under arrest at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday and was transferred to a Maricopa County jail.

Police said Campbell, who worked alone, admitted checking the items out of the evidence facility, using the gift cards and taking the refrigerator to his house for his own use. He said he gave a washer he had taken to an acquaintance.

The criminal and parallel internal investigations are ongoing. After speaking with investigators, Campbell resigned from his position Tuesday afternoon, police said.

He has been arrested and booked, and is awaiting formal charges and his initial appearance, police said.

"This circumstance is most unfortunate for the Tempe Police Department and the law enforcement community," said Tempe Police Chief Tom Ryff. "We are committed to the highest standards and will ensure that in partnership with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, that Mr. Campbell is held accountable both criminally and administratively for his violation of public trust.

"This misconduct is certainly not consistent with the professional standards and practices demonstrated by Tempe police employees on a daily basis. As law enforcement employees, trust and accountability are of paramount importance."

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2011/05/17/20110517tempe-detective-arrested0517abrk.html

Ex-Tempe officer faces disciplinary hearing

A former Tempe police officer who smelled of alcohol at work and is wanted for fleeing from Surprise police has a hearing Wednesday before a disciplinary board, a report says.

Former Officer David French, who served in the military and was in the midst of a divorce, suffers post-traumatic stress disorder, his wife told investigators.

Police said he served in the military about 20 years but were uncertain if he fought in Iraq or Afghanistan.

French, 41, is scheduled for a first hearing before the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which will decide whether to continue reviewing the case. The board has the power to deny certified status or suspend or revoke certification. This would prevent French from serving as a police officer elsewhere.

The report says that French had a heavy smell of alcohol on his breath on April 22. A civilian employee reported it, and Sgt. Mike Carleton also smelled the alcohol.

French told Carleton he had been "drinking heavily" after his previous shift ended. A breath test administered to French registered at .038, which is below the legal limit of .08, but any alcohol in an officer's system is prohibited.

He was relieved of duty that day and Carleton drove him home.

The report says that French also failed to report to duty Jan. 30, and did not notify his agency.

On April 24, French resigned in lieu of termination.

Three months later, on July 1, French fled from Surprise police after they tried to pull him over for erratic driving, the report says. French sped up and cut off numerous vehicles and drove into oncoming traffic, the report says.

A Surprise officer estimated French was traveling 60 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood.

Attempts to find French, whose estranged wife said was armed with a rifle and handgun, were not successful. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office charged him with Unlawful Flight from a Law Enforcement Vehicle, a felony.

French failed to show up for a Nov. 29 court appearance. An in-state warrant has been issued for the arrest of French, who is believed to be out of state.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/02/15/20110215tempe-police-officer-disciplinary-hearing0216.html

Ex-officer barred from police work for 2 years

A former Tempe officer accused of pursuing romantic encounters while on duty has been suspended from serving as an Arizona police officer for at least two years.

The Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board on Wednesday voted to suspend the certification of Jared Blanchard, 26.

"He became preoccupied with females on many, many calls," AZPOST presenter Bob Irish said.

Jared's pursuit of romantic relationships clearly led to neglect of duty on at least two occasions. Irish said.

"There's something about this that makes me incredibly uneasy," said AZPOST board Chairman Joseph Duarte.

Blanchard, a sworn officer since March 2007, resigned in lieu of termination in August 2009.

In one case, Blanchard pulled over a 21-year-old single mother near Tempe Marketplace and cited her for expired registration and no proof of insurance, according to Tempe police reports.

Blanchard got her number from the citation and texted "you are the prettiest girl I've ever pulled over."

Blanchard said he later had sex with the woman. He also admitted to pursuing romantic encounters with at least three others he met while on duty, some of whom were victims of crimes, according to an internal investigation conducted by the Tempe Police Department.

Asked this week about the Blanchard case, Sgt. Steve Carbajal, a Tempe police spokesman, said, "Obviously, we take these incidents very seriously. It's totally inappropriate and unacceptable to meet women on duty or men on duty and cultivate relationships on duty."

Blanchard was placed on desk duty in February 2009 after his neighbor called Mesa police to report that Blanchard, while off duty, had grabbed her breast while in her apartment in May 2008. Blanchard insisted it happened while the two were playfully touching.

The neighbor said she smoked marijuana and had drugs in her apartment when Blanchard was there, though he never used any. Officers are obligated to act when a crime is taking place.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2010/10/24/20101024tempe-former-cop-sex-on-duty1023.html