Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels has been appointed to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.
The composition of the Board remains as established in 1991, with 13 members. The Arizona Peace Officer Standards & Training Board was originally comprised of nine members, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Board included two sheriffs, two chiefs of police, a college faculty member in public administration or a related field, the state attorney general, the director of the Department of Public Safety, and two public members.
In 1977, the statutes were revised to require one sheriff come from a county with a population exceeding 200,000 and one sheriff from a county with a population less than 200,000. Additionally, one police chief was to be from a city with a population exceeding 60,000 and one from a city with a population less than 60,000.
In 1984, Board membership was expanded with the addition of the director of the Arizona Department of Corrections and an administrator of a county or municipal correctional facility. The number of members serving on the Board rose to thirteen in 1991, when the legislature added two additional members holding the rank of patrol officer or sergeant. It was specified that one of the two new members was to be from a city police agency and the other from a sheriff’s office.
Meetings are held each month in Phoenix and various topics related to Arizona Law Enforcement certification and training, as well as disciplinary actions are reviewed and voted upon.
Sheriff Dannels said, “It is an honor to be selected to be a member of this board. Having been a certified officer in Arizona for 31 years, I believe that I have the knowledge and background to offer sound advice in the matters affecting our law enforcement officers today. I appreciate this opportunity and I look forward to being able to make a positive contribution to the system.”