Rules for police recruits may ease
Arizona may loosen its code for prior drug use
Austin Grijalva graduated from Grand Canyon University, coaches youth baseball, and his character references describe him as a hard worker.
All of these characteristics make him a good candidate to be a police officer.
But one mistake in the summer of 2016 could have derailed his goal of becoming an Oro Valley Police Department officer: He ate a marijuana-infused brownie.
Under Arizona law, the use of a narcotic can prevent a person from being able to apply as an officer for seven years.
“The academy staff, including his class officer, have spoken very highly of Austin, stating he is excellent in academics, physical fitness and defensive tactics,” Chief Kara Riley told a state board last month, asking that it waive Grijalva’s past narcotic use so he can work as a police officer.
His one-time mistake should not overshadow all of his good qualities, was the message Riley sent to the 13
member Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, the statewide office in charge of certifying police officers.
The board unanimously approved
Grijalva’s waiver during its April meeting.
But not every applicant is so lucky. Arizona police departments and county sheriffs’ offices often have to turn down candidates who may have made good officers, all because of onetime mistakes in high school or college.
During the officer application process, a person must admit any drug use. Investigators will do a background check on the applicant, and the applicant will also have to take a polygraph test to determine any illegal drug use.
Do standards need to be updated?
Last month, the board, also known as AZPOST, proposed three changes to its drug-screening process that it hopes can help police departments fill vacancies with a diverse applicant pool.
This came after “98 heads of agencies” in Arizona told AZPOST in a survey that they want the board to update the state’s drug-screening rules, according to the board’s April 15 meeting minutes.
“Our current drug standards have not been substantially updated since the mid-1990s,” Matt Giordano, executive director of AZPOST, told The Arizona Republic in an email. “In speaking with hiring managers from police agencies around the state, they advised some of the standards needed to be updated as they have been unable to hire applicants based on pre-employment drug use.”
The board considered the request and agreed to propose to change the standards regarding police recruits’ past use of marijuana and steroids, and the use of Adderall without a prescription. Adderall is used to treat attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder.
The current policies for marijuana, steroids and Adderall use:
❚ No use in the past three years, can’t exceed a total of 20 times, and can’t exceed five times since the age of 21. And never as an officer. Edibles can’t have been used in the past seven years.
❚ No unauthorized use within the past seven years, no more than one usage after the age of 21, and no more than five times total. And never as an officer.
❚ No more than two usages of Adderall without a prescription.
The proposed changes:
❚ Marijuana: Eliminates the limit on the number of uses for marijuana and edibles, but no use allowed within the past two years.
❚ Steroids: No unauthorized use within the past three years.
❚ Adderall: No use without a prescription within the past three years.
“The goal is to update the minimum qualifications to be in line with what we believe are the societal expectations of a good peace officer candidate,” Giordano said. “I do believe these changes, if approved, will create a larger, more diverse workforce capable of providing worldclass police service to the deserving residents of Arizona.”
He said that AZPOST is not “lowering standards” but rather, “We are updating the rules to be contemporary.”
The proposed changes are not yet final. AZPOST still must vote on whether to submit the proposal to the Governor’s Office before the public can provide comment.
‘Looking for applicants who aspire to the highest ideals’
There are 33 states, including Arizona, that legally allow people to use marijuana for medical use. And 11 states have legalized recreational marijuana use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Police departments across the country have changed their rules regarding marijuana use.
Last year, the Atlanta Police Department said it no longer will include marijuana as an answer in the application that asks which drugs an applicant has used.
“I was really concerned we were losing applicants to marijuana usage,” Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “As an employer, it’s a really difficult space to find yourself in.”
In Arizona, AZPOST sets the minimum standards, from police academy training to what qualifications a person must meet to be an officer. A police agency can have higher standards but must meet the minimum requirements.
Phoenix police said it would abide by whatever AZPOST decides, but that it will continue recruiting top candidates.
These changes do not impact our goal of attracting the most qualified local and out-of-state candidates,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said. “We are looking for applicants who aspire to the highest ideals of personal conduct to inspire and sustain trust in our community.”
The Arizona Republic contacted several other police departments and police unions. Some didn’t respond. Others declined to comment, saying they were waiting to see what the board would finalize or that they usually don’t comment on AZPOST’s rules.
‘Why would that preclude them from doing their job?’
Kim Humphrey, a former Phoenix police commander, said that if AZPOST accepts these changes, he hopes board members scrutinize recruits who do admit to previous drug use.
During some of his time as a Phoenix police commander, Humphrey worked to stop the use of steroids within the department.
He said a recruit who may have smoked marijuana or took Adderall when they were younger is not necessarily a sign of how they would do their jobs as an officer.
“Someone who smoked marijuana 10 years ago or took Adderall in college, why would that preclude them from doing their job?” said Humphrey, who retired from the Police Department in 2014 after 32 years of service.
But he has some concerns about the steroid and edible rules.
He said it’s possible someone may have used steroids once and has since regretted it. But usually, this drug is done in cycles and leads to other illegal drug use to stem off the negative effects of steroids, Humphrey said.
“Unfortunately, it is a little bit disturbing, people who have used those, because there is a psychological issue,” he said. “If they were engaged in bodybuilding culture, it’s very easy to fall back into that mindset.”
On edibles, he said that he is concerned because they are more potent than smoking marijuana, and can present some dangers to some people who eat them.
Research is divided on whether edibles or modern marijuana products could increase the likelihood of schizophrenia in some individuals.
‘Admitting to steroid use’
In 2006, Phoenix became the first major city in the nation to add anabolic steroids to the list of illegal substances it randomly screened for.
In 2007, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a probe into doctors improperly passing out prescriptions, linking 12 Phoenix officers and 12 firefighters to the investigation.
In 2014, the Police Department dissolved the random screening for steroids.
John Hoberman, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of “Dopers in Uniform,” said the proposed changes are meant to help deal with a recruiting issue.
Still, he said, changing the rules on steroid use should serve as an indicator that there may be a culture of steroid abuse among officers.
“It’s possible that they have been encountering an increasing number of people admitting to steroid use,” he said. “They want to reduce the chances of rejecting an applicant simply because they were fooling around with steroids.”