1 , 2 , 3, 4…FOUR possibly more…OFFICERS QUIT, Two former Lateral Officers to ASUPD, Clinton Martinez and Dahmar Smiles, plus ASU Police 12 year Veteran Craig Woodruff can now take their experience where it will be appreciated, not held against them. Officer Daniel Gaughan can see if the crap games played at ASUPD by the clique work at Tempe PD.
When you are aware of how a police department is supposed to operate why would you stay at the Arizona State University Police Department? You wouldn’t. Officer Clinton Martinez and Dahmar Smiles were lateral police officers who came to ASUPD and were quickly able to see the lack of integrity, lack of leadership, favoritism, dirty politics, lack of opportunity, poor officer compensation, and knew the only solution was to leave.
Officer Craig Woodruff, Army 82nd Airborne Veteran, was with ASUPD for 12 years and, like most people who leave, was most likely fed up with the games being played with his career. Historically, some members of ASUPD command, supervisors, have had a habit of targeting veterans of the military and law enforcement. When you get to know the leadership of the ASU Police department you will ask yourself, “Why the hell did I come here?” Many retired laterals walked out in short order because they could see the numerous negative issues and had the option.
Many officers still working towards retirement left everything behind in other states, put all their eggs in this unsafe basket, and almost lost their careers to the unethical spiteful leadership of ASUPD.
They were targeted for no reason other than the fact that many here were intimidated by their experience and had the rank to injure them. Clinton and Dahmar can now take their experience where it will be appreciated, not held against them.
Despite being selected for Firearms instructor, DT instructor, and Crime prevention Clinton understood that only favorites get actual promotions and that is the only real pay raise available at the Arizona State University Police Department.
Apparently, the Crime Prevention position was vacated by someone who never applied for it, Clinton Martinez, and was recently given to Becky Garcia who was the only one who originally applied. Sounds fair? No. Sounds like ASUPD command zero ethics? Yes.
Clinton, Dahmar, and Craig, you left the mall cop job behind and can finally get back to being a police officer fighting crime instead of babysitting, dodging internal politics, policy enforcement, homeless management, and running traffic with timid college kids, suburban moms, and professors who know they are one complaint away from having you fired. You get to work at a police department where they have your back and it isn’t everyone out for themselves. Good Luck, stay safe where the real police work actually happens on a regular basis. We are confident you will be assets to the communities you serve.
Congratulations Officer Clinton Martinez for moving on with your career elsewhere.
You are one of the fortunate ones that apparently “escaped” unscathed from the destructive elements still lingering within the ASU PD.
He’s lucky! There are other officers who tried to leave only to be retained by frivolous made-up internal affair investigations that sabotage their attempt to better their lives, career, and support their families. They have been maintaining this unethical practice for over a decade. Shameful ethics for those calling themselves police officers in command at ASUPD.
That’s so fucking awesome, way to go. Put this shit department in the rear view mirror, hit the gas, and roast those tires!
Asupd in Tempe based will always have priority staffing with the satellite campuses being unsafe and barely covered. At the very least there are staffing shortages everywhere. Officers are leaving for many good reasons. Anyone thinking of a career as a police officer needs to pay close attention to what opportunities are out there. ASUPD has nothing that competes with it. There are positives with some aspects of ASUPD, but they are grossly overshadowed by the lousy 3rd string management.
Keep officers driving from campus to campus in a continuous loop, day after day, month after month, year after year to fill in for people we don’t have. Every campus is short nearly all the time.
More are planning to leave. They are trying to fill in the losses with new police aide recruits who don’t know any better. It never works. What’s their solution? More promotions. Makes no sense.
Watch more LOA requests get canceled as this fucking place can’t retain anyone. It has very little to do with $$$, but nobody accepts responsibility above the rank of Officer. I also heard more were leaving so get ready to report on that.
Regarding the continual shortage of police officers (boots on the ground) at ASU campuses.
Here’s a novel idea: Why doesn’t Chief Michael Thompson and his command staff join the rank-and-file in patrolling the ASU campuses?
After all, ASUPD command created the chronic shortage of police officers through their egregious and blatant mismanagement of personnel over the years.
Good luck to all the police officers that are moving on to bigger and better career opportunities.
They don’t know how to work, everyone who has an alergic reaction to working as a police officer promotes as soon as they can and as often as they can so that can be critical of the few who do work. This secures their job as a supervisor at the ASU Police department. They can do no wrong and have covered for one another criminally.
Don’t ever look back, the testimonials of officers who left are legion. The word of mouth advertising is strongly against starting a career here.
I thought it apropos to repost 311’s comment here that was originally posted on indeed.com.
I remember vividly the tizzy this post created with command when it first came out. Then-Chief John Pickens summoned his commanders to the Tempe campus to attempt to find out who would have the audacity to write the truth about ASUPD!
Thank you 311 for encapsulating the essence of the ASUPD culture that continues despite the removal of John Pickens.
311 wrote:
When thinking of a career at the ASU Police Department one word comes to mind RUN! If nobody will take you, if you wore out your welcome everywhere else, or your background is so bad you need a waiver, then apply now and regret it later. If this isn’t you, then realize the other Police departments are starting to hire more frequently and simply offer many more opportunities in every way imaginable. People are starting and leaving all the time, year after year, so if family, friends, or school are important forget it. The people who stay are there for a reason and it’s never a good one. The schedule gets changed over and over throughout the year, it’s impossible to get time off, no uniform allowance, no take home car, comp time instead of overtime, and unless you tape record every conversation the dept. won’t back you up in a dispute with the public. If something happens you won’t have adequate backup, you’re on your own. It’s like being a glorified security guard, getting paid like one, getting treated like one, and praying to the lord that nothing bad happens.
The department reputation is dangerous for your career. The morale is in the pits. The lack of step increases or any raises for years is amazing, and the politics/cliques are absurd for an agency this size and with so little responsibility. Your only hope of making more than 40K and change is to promote, work a lot of overtime, or win the lottery. If you are looking to be a real cop and have a rewarding career in law enforcement where you’ll be respected by your department and the public, then don’t give up searching for other department openings. They open and close frequently, make a list of the department with a hyper link to their job posting area. You need to aggressively pursue this task, there’s a reason ASUPD is ALWAYS hiring…If you are young, ambitious, not desperate, or simply want a satisfying job as an officer then go with one of the big names and save yourself a lot of bull.
It was true then, true now, nothing changed.
Ha ha, People are crawling at the walls to get out. Time to blame the employees.
Congrats Officers Dahmar Smiles and Clinton Martinez on your transition from the confines of the Arizona State University Police Department.
They both left right at shift bid. What was minimal coverage before puts the department in crisis coverage mode now.
How much has ASUPD wasted in training costs alone by constantly sending people to the academy who leave, paying for training, FTO program, more uniforms and equipment, etc etc.
The leadership of the ASU Police department must be some of the most stupid and egotistical motherfuckers around. Dr. Michael Crow clearly rewards failure, where is the accountsbility?
I’m not going to give any names but there were more going out the door. The writing is on the wall. When even the new people are leaving that’s a big clue something isn’t right.
Congratulations Officer Dahmar Smiles for moving on with your career elsewhere.
It is disheartening and frustrating to no end that we continue to lose exceptional police officers at an alarming rate.
We desperately need new leadership at the helm, no doubt.
Best of luck on all your future endeavors, Craig.
Godspeed, my friend.
When employees flee, it’s usually because of bad leadership.