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A former Douglas police officer who is the subject of an FBI investigation has given up his ability to serve as a peace officer in Arizona and several other states.
Miguel A. Gutierrez’s consent agreement to voluntarily relinquish his peace officer certification was accepted Wednesday during a meeting of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) Board. The action means Gutierrez will have his name entered into the National Decertification Index, which is a database of peace officers who have given up or had their state certification revoked.
Public records show Gutierrez was working for Douglas PD in early 2019 when he was arrested in Agua Prieta, Sonora for involvement in an aggravated assault. He kept his job but was later accused of lying to an FBI agent during an investigation into allegations Gutierrez provided “sensitive law enforcement information” to at least one drug trafficking organization based in Mexico.
“Information provided to the FBI was corroborated by narcotics seizures and narcotic smuggling efforts by close friends and associates of Gutierrez,” according to an AZPOST case summary, which lists Gutierrez’s employment dates as September 2016 to May 2020.
Gutierrez’s alleged misconduct also included being untruthful during a city administrative interview about his relationship with a woman Gutierrez knew was involved in illegal drug activity. The AZPOST Board did not learn of the issues with Gutierrez until July 2021 at which time a decision was made to initiate proceedings against his certification.
The Board also accepted the voluntary relinquishment of former Sierra Vista PD officer Stephen Braswell’s certification during Wednesday’s meeting.
Public records show Braswell began working for Sierra Vista PD in October 2018 but resigned in May 2021 after an internal affairs investigation sustained violations of city and department policies related to integrity, procedures, and work ethics.
A letter from Chief Adam Thrasher to AZPOST explained the circumstances surrounding Braswell’s resignation, adding that the officer’s conduct may have been grounds for suspension or revocation of his peace officer certification.
“Officer Braswell was untruthful with his supervisor and internal affairs investigators regarding an investigation he did not complete,” Thrasher wrote. “In addition, Officer Braswell submitted for approval an untruthful police report regarding this investigation.”
There is no indication that Braswell engaged in any criminal activity and he agreed to give up his certification before the Board considered whether to initiate proceedings.
Like Gutierrez, Braswell’s name will be added to the National Decertification Index.
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