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Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Juan Martinez last week was ordered to one year probation stemming from charges filed by the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (AACJ) association late last year, to which he has filed an appeal. The AACJ charged Mr. Martinez with misconduct spanning a decade and 11 cases of murder, including the…
New technology may soon be available which gives police the ability to detect both alcohol and marijuana impairment by breathalyzer. Hound Labs, Inc., an Oakland, California-based company, has developed a proprietary technology which reportedly overcomes the difficulty of distinguishing, via a breath sample, between a person who merely has residual THC in their system and…
Arizona, unlike California (see recent legislation here, and a recent article here), does not have a statute banning use of electronic devices while driving for any purposes. Bills introduced in the State Legislature in 2015 and 2016 were not passed. Some cities, such as Tempe, have enacted limited restrictions on the use of electronic devices…
A recent Associated Press investigation documents the abuse nationwide of confidential law enforcement database information by police and other government employees. Public records requests uncovered more than 325 such instances leading to the firing, suspension or resignation of police or state employees between 2013 and 2015 alone. Records provided were reportedly incomplete at best,…
Following a shocking incident September 13th during which a man was told by police to swallow marijuana in order to avoid being arrested and taken to jail, 3 City of Phoenix Police officers have resigned, and a fourth officer has been demoted for not taking appropriate action once he learned of the incident. Phoenix…
The police department at Northern Arizona University has received grants totaling more than $10,000, which is earmarked for staffing and related expenses for the DUI Task Force program. Applications have already been submitted for the same grants for next year which if awarded is intended to further the DUI Task Force program, and a…
Leslie Merritt, Jr., once accused and jailed for 7 months as the suspected I-10 Freeway shooter, last week filed a civil suit in Maricopa County Superior Court against the State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery alleging false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, negligence, intentional infliction of…
After legal battles lasting six years, and after much of the original legislation has been struck down in federal courts, an agreement has been reached between Arizona and immigrant rights groups in regard to the remnants of Arizona Senate Bill (SB) 1070. Under the terms of the agreement, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich will…
A task force composed of legal experts from around the State this week submitted a report and recommendations to the Arizona Supreme Court geared toward generally reducing the imposition of court fines, fees, and penalties, providing alternatives where there is an inability to pay, and basing decisions about whether a person is eligible for pretrial…