Latest / Arizona Unscripted / Episode 29: 🌵 Arizona Unscripted - What Does A Constable Actually Do?

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Episode 29: 🌵 Arizona Unscripted - What Does A Constable Actually Do? · Arizona Unscripted

• Arizona Unscripted: Welcome to Arizona Unscripted. Our podcast is a way to reach people where they live. It's about Arizona's people, places, events, and local issues. We present local conversation by local voices focused on local impact. We try to counter misinformation and build community dialogue and build a space for respectful human conversation. With that, grab a coffee or a cold beer and enjoy the conversation. And now I will turn it over to my co-hosts Diane and Catherine. Hey Jim. It is so good to be here with you. ⁓ it is so exciting to have these podcasts and all these really special guests join us. I'm absolutely loving this. We have people in here on the podcast with us across the state. We've got Daniel from Graham, we've got Carol from Mojave County. And I'm gonna let Katherine introduce our special guest, but we also have Joan from Lake Havasu. So welcome everybody to the podcast. And with that, Catherine, welcome here. And I'm gonna turn it over to you to introduce our guest. Thanks, Diane. Well, as Diane is cringing from the thunder outside, we are we're in the middle of a thunderstorm ⁓ up in Bullhead City here in Havasu. It hasn't quite hit us yet. I don't know. what it's gonna be like down where you are, Daniel, but we're getting some weather, which is actually a good thing until it becomes a bad thing, right? Overcast and light rain right now. ⁓ okay. So that sounds about like Kavasu. Well it maybe it'll move your way. We're all in the middle of this El Nino right now. And so it's it's hard to know what to expect. I'm really pleased to introduce our guest John Hoagey is the newly elected constable for La Paz County. not a lot of us know what constables do. So when I met John a couple of weeks ago, I asked him if he would come on the podcast and he graciously agreed to come and educate us about the constable position here in the state of Ariz, Arizona. So thank you for being here today and welcome, John. Welcome. Very happy to be here. The The chance to speak in public is a chance of turn down. Yeah, really. You don't want to turn that down. And if you could just make sure that you're getting ⁓ a little bit close to the mic so that we can get your voice. So I I did a little research to try to see, learn about what the constable does. And I was surprised at all of the ⁓ areas in which constables work. So could you tell us a little bit about that? As the constable of LaPaz County, my role is a lot smaller than it would be as far as the larger counties are concerned. Some of the larger counties have a senior constable and maybe four or five ⁓ assistant constables. We all do the same thing, but like in the larger counties we they stay a lot busier. They have, you know, five, ten, fifteen evictions in a day. They can have, you know, service process. They stay busy. ⁓ I don't. Isn't that nice. Well, that's a good thing. Yeah. Yes. Most of the time ⁓ and ⁓ well just to give give you some context, when ⁓ I was first elected constable in so I am just being re elected as constable. ⁓ one of the things that I I did one of the first things I did was I contacted my my Justice of the Peace, Tiffany Dyer, and basically said, If there's anything I can do to make the transition easier for you, please let me know. And her response was essentially, I wouldn't know, I haven't had a content years. ⁓ so yeah, yeah. we I I think we are the best bang to the buck because we do we basically can do the same thing the sheriff does, but ⁓ l way ⁓ way low way lower paycheck. most most of what I did or learned how to do for the first two or three years, I had a lot of processes to serve. They weren't used to having any console. So the Justice's Peace saw the opportunity to, you know, ⁓ fill up the the I work for the Justice. I don't work for the Justice Court. I work with the Justice Court, just like the with the Superior Court. And so we would be notified by email of what they needed me to do. I would print out what I needed to do. And the first thing I learned in the first group was to cultivate people in the different parts of the county who could tell me where certain addresses were. ⁓ I learned Very quickly, you don't ask for the address, you ask for the neighborhood, the business or the home. Because ⁓ well also, as a side note, I'm also on the Ehrenberg Fire Department ⁓ firebo ⁓ fire district, and one of the things that the chief complained about constantly was nobody puts addresses on their homes in the county. Which doesn't really mean anything until you have to call a police officer or or f you know firefighters and then the ad address. And so like I said, I learned very quickly to say, ⁓ no, no, I don't need the address. What's the name of the business? Or what, you know, give me a landmark in your neighborhood. Yeah. And that that helped a lot 'cause it would ⁓ it would ⁓ really ⁓ help me zone in. ⁓ and the other one was I did a lot of walking up and down R V parks and I learned very quickly that you know I would you know People people are funny. I get elected constable and they say, ⁓ do you carry a gun? Does that mean you can carry a gun? And my response, I'm a citizen of the state of Arizona. No, I've always been able to carry a gun. Right. So I yeah, and it depends obviously on on the location I'm at. And I learned very quickly after a while to ⁓ put my gear on and literally walk down one or two aisles in the park. Because ninety, because they've always got people in there and within maybe a two, three minutes, a door would come flying open. I'm the manager, why are you here? Yeah. So how do you respond to that? Hi, Hoagie, I'm the constable of La Paz County. I'm looking for address and this gentleman. And the vast majority of the time they would say, ⁓ he I mean, they they would either point the person out, point the point the ⁓ the residents out, or they'd say, ⁓ he left two months ago. And after a while ⁓ you learned that the people you were looking for, nobody missed them. Yeah. I bet you have a lot of stories, John. One or two. Yes. Well, I'm also a retired correctional officer, so it just adds on to the stories from like I said, my days as a correctional officer. And you find that ⁓ my how to deal with inmates was a really good background for learning how to find people I have to sort of process. I bet. I bet. So what what are the qualifications to be a constable? Get elected. Okay. What do you have to do to get elected, John? Yeah. ⁓ say well and and here's another another kind of a weird thing. ⁓ the sheriff are both elected. And basically that's that's you know the the j job requirement to get elected. ⁓ we're also and just about every campaign stop, every community I would come to, every at least one person in the room would ask me this question How does it feel to be the only law enforcement officer in Arizona to arrest the sheriff? Well, what's the answer? The answer is are you out of your mind? I am not gonna walk into a sheriff's department and say, Hey, the sheriff. Well, that's good. That that probably is w part of the reason why you got elected is that common sense. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I know the sheriff. I mean, I know a couple of the deputies and I would tell them that story and they'd No, you're smarter than you look. Good. Joan has a question or a comment for you. Hi John. I just I was wondering, do you just go out by yourself ⁓ to ⁓ do you to carry out your duties or do you go ⁓ are you accompanied by someone? I am the only constable in La Paz County, so that should answer that question. Yes, I I I I don't know if I should go into this all that that far. When I decide the reason I decided to run for constable. is because I was ⁓ very ⁓ I was madly in love with a local R V manager. And she was complaining to me on the phone one day that she couldn't get any of the deputies to serve her summonses. And which I understand. I mean they're they're busy. I understand that. And she said, is there any chance that you would be willing to do that? And I went, Sure you know. ⁓ and of course the punchline of that story is I get elected constable, I serve the three summonses she has, and a month later she broke up with me. I've been exploited, yes. But it I mean, I it it was totally worth it. ⁓ long time ago. Don't volunteer for things that you don't want to do anyway. ⁓ it has been such an incredible learning experience. ⁓ like I said, I've I've driven all over LePod County because of this job. And unlike most people who are driving around ⁓ actual for going on to the property, hey, this is who I'm looking for, that type of thing. And ⁓ you know, it's I'm I'm six foot about two fifty and for the most part, as soon as people ent answer the door, it's like, you know, Constable Hoagie here, I have this for you, and they'll crack the door about two inches, they'll slide it through, you know. It's they they very rarely want to come up and ask me what I'm doing. Hey John, is it true that if people need to have like paperwork, sir, maybe civil paperwork or Family court paperwork, is that something the constable does or no? If it comes through the court, they can give it to me. I as a rule, I'm justice court, but the Superior Court has you know, I I've had people ask, you know, could you know, could you get this served fast? And if they give it to me, I can serve fast. ⁓ I also am capable Can work a county adjoining their county. Right. So I can serve in Mojave County, I can serve in Yuma County. Yep. And I remember back, I think it was 24, John, when I first met you. And ⁓ it was so funny because people are like, ⁓ the constable is that dude that rides in on the horse, and you know, he gives people papers, and I'm like, I'm pretty sure he doesn't ride in on a horse anymore. ⁓ but you know, so I know we're the wild west, but I'm pretty sure you drive around and not ride around on horses, correct? It saves me a ton on hay. Absolutely. But the cost of gas, I don't know. You might want to turn to the horse, it might be I have revised that adjustment lately, yes. But I do I do have a nice looking hat if if she's good enough looking. Did you have another question, Joan? ⁓ no, not not really. I just forgot to lower my hand. Okay. So John, did I understand that story about your girlfriend to be like the one the guy when he buys a sailboat the two most important days of his life are when he bought it and the other one when he sold it? Hey now I have yeah that that is true. I have come to understand and w we got Our breakup had nothing to do with my job as a constable. And I realized why we broke up, but I also realized that like I said, ⁓ it's a good idea to do like this just to do a favor for somebody else because it's a four year term. And you know, it it's very unprofessional to go, you know, she broke up with me, I you know, I'm resigning. So we're just kidding. ⁓ ⁓ yeah. Yeah, but it makes a good story, John. It makes a really good story. I appreciate that. Yeah. Yeah. So ⁓ I've had I've had a lot of you know and I've met a lot of really good people. And ⁓ and ⁓ there's w we served this thing called a writ of restitution. ⁓ the court has returned your property, you've you've loosed your property out of loan or you know, whatever to somebody else. They don't pay whatever. And you get the writ of restitution done. So I get this writ restitution. I've never served a writ of restitution before. And I noticed that only three people can actually serve a writ of restition. the marshal, and I'm was it the the ⁓ yeah, the marshal, which we have one more as I know in ⁓ Arizona, ⁓ the sheriff, who, you know, like I said, they rarely have time to do that, and the constable. It must be the signature of one of those three. So, you know, you do learn I I am a peace officer by the statute. And there are times that ⁓ my status comes in handy. Because like I said, you can't just give it to your neighbor and serve somebody. Mm-hmm. So, John, I have a quick question and then I think Joan has something for you as well. so did you so I met you in twenty four. ⁓ are you Was your election at the primary or is your election coming up for the general election? Yes. Since I won my primary, I will be on the ballot in November. Okay. So people can still vote for you and you would really like people to vote for you for the general election. Since I have decided I like my job. Yes. Yeah. That would be great. And I'd love because I didn't know until twenty-four when you and I were talking, like you said earlier, you actually can serve papers. in Mojave County. So that's important information in Enuma County ⁓ for us all to know as well. So if you know people who are in La Paz County that will be voting, know this is a position that also can impact those counties. Joan. Yeah, I was wondering so in La Paz County, ⁓ is there mandatory or ⁓ any kind of optional training that you that you can do? And also Diane raised the the ⁓ question of interacting ⁓ in other counties. do you have a lot of ⁓ interactions with constables across Arizona? And possibly even, I don't know what they do in California. as a rule well, I was I interacted with them a lot that first year because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. There were a couple of training sessions that I attended, got to know a few of the people. Unless ⁓ and most down here in the South, I we well Boz County is the smallest county to have a constable. There are two or three other counties, but they're you know, they don't even have constables. So my interaction with other constables is limited just because of that. in the larger counties, it's not at all unusual for them to have interaction. Because they're served, you know, 'cause like you said, they can ⁓ they want they wind up going into the other person's county. They know them, they'll call them up and say, Hey, I'm gonna be up there, you know, do you wanna, you know, stop by and have coffee, whatever. ⁓ that is almost down here that doesn't happen. ⁓ the little bit of time that I have spent up in ⁓ in Mojave, ⁓ I would almost rather serve up there because at least, you know, ⁓ down here, I mean it's an hour, hour and a half to get to get where And you know, so obviously up in you know, in and humans kind of the same way. ⁓ it takes you takes you a while to get to Yuma. And it's just, you know, it's it's a long, boring drive to find out where you're going. And it's a long boring drive, which I can understand once somebody I mean a lot of constables they'll last one term and just kinda go, This you know, this is not for me. It's not nearly as exciting as I thought. Because they they conflate police officers and highway patrols constables. So John. John, it sounds like it sounds like your job is 24-7, huh? It can be. ⁓ I also I can do ⁓ and and plus the fact that I can ⁓ do private ⁓ services, the the court services take priority. But if somebody needs a private service, I can do that. If it's if it's a service that it falls under my my my authority. So John, I'm I used to work at the sheriff's office in decades in the fire service and people could do right-alongs. Do people do ride-alongs with you? Is that a thing? That would not you can do that. Let me how do I say how would I say this? ⁓ the I am my own department. So I really wouldn't be able to do that just because of ⁓ there's there's really nobody to approve it. You know, the county can't say, Yes, we'll back you up. The county doesn't do that. ⁓ just like ⁓ I bought as a correctional officer and as a ⁓ constable. I've gone through, you know, handcuffing training, that type of thing. The problem is and the problem is that I'm driving my own car, I can't put a suspect in my car. Right. Yeah. So while there are a lot of things about sheriffs and police officers I could do, there are you know there are a few things I can't do logistically, it's impossible. Also plus the fact that I haven't been able to talk to the sheriff into letting me, you know, use the jail. So John, what's the fate what's your favorite part of the job? well there are two parts two favorite parts. ⁓ when I walk up to a door and you know, part of the job is as I say as I said in a couple of my campaign speeches, you know, my job is to knock on doors that nobody else wants to knock on. And I will I will tell you, it's a rush to get up there and do the job. That that's a rush to walk to walk away. 'Cause you know, the just like when I was a correctional officer. know, there were certain parts of the decoration loss or I mean that the adrenaline was just pumping and when you got the d job done it felt so good to to have done that. ⁓ and then I do enjoy, you know I've I spent a lot of time with you I think we lost them. We lost ⁓ at community events and things like that with people kind of going out you know as a I I have the same almost the same level of interest in my my history as a congressional officer as I do in my my history as a constable because very few people know anything about either of those two worlds that I've spent a whole lot of time in. Yes. Daniel. Yep, get a another question, see if I can remember it. I got ⁓ distracted myself. How often do you run into situations where the person you're trying to serve might be just far enough from the front gate with watchdogs or donkeys or whatever between you and them? How do you deal with that? A little bit of psychology comes in very, very handy. ⁓ the first couple of times I did it, I didn't realize I was doing it. There is nothing like standing out there. I've ⁓ I've got kind of a bush ⁓ hat that I put constable on the front and the back of I've got a couple of vests that say constable in very, very wide letters. You have no idea how unwelcome I am in those neighborhoods. And those people will literally call their neighbor up and say, Get that ⁓ out of here now. And like I said, the first couple of times I was like, Wow, that happened very quickly. And then I finally realized The neighborhood was on my side. You know, yes, get that whoever that guy is, get him of here. Whatever works, you know. I have no problem with that. But yeah, that that is the thing. Yeah, you're using you're using ⁓ public perception against you, but you're using it for yourself. Yeah. Because and it's ⁓ I would never have put those two things together, but like I said, I'm liter the first couple of times it happened, I was ⁓ standing at a wooden gate. And it was a you know, this place was almost like a fortress. And I realized and I'd been standing there for maybe a minute, minute and a half, about to turn around when of the house came out and said, You know, can I help you? I said, I'm looking for so and so. She goes, ⁓ I'll be right back. And I mean thirty seconds later he was out there because she ran in there and said, He's looking for you. Get out there. So so what's your least favorite part of the job? The drives. ⁓ I don't mind driving, but ⁓ I heard a really good phrase a long time ago. Somebody was driving to from two l different locations in Nevada, and I've always remembered this. It's a great drive if you hate scenery. Yeah. Well that's where you gotta listen to a audiobook or a podcast or something. That's right. You listen to Arizona Unscripted. It's a fabulous podcast. What was your most memorable experience as a concept? Probably probably that, standing at the gate, finally getting the guy served and suddenly realizing that like you said, ⁓ something that was highly unlikely turned out to be his ally. ⁓ you know And it most of us can walk into a a a place that we're not used to. And as long as you're dressed nicely and you treat people nicely, as a rule, things go well. ⁓ I'm in a neighborhood that was that let's just look face it this put it this way. ⁓ you had a pretty good feeling that most of the stuff that was happening in that neighborhood was not as strictly according to the law. And then to have, you know, like I said, the wife comes out, can I help you? I tell her and he Him coming out had nothing to do with me, it had everything to do with her. So it it it finally and and you know, like I said, also, you know, the adrenaline rush of something like that happening to you. ⁓ I have I spent twenty years as a as a correctional officer, I spent another four years at ⁓ you know ⁓ the constable and I have yet to be even threatened. But I also, you know, I've I've ⁓ you know been weightlifting all my life. You know, my dad had me shooting guns when I was ten years old. ⁓ you know, it doesn't take you long as a correctional officer. You know, you it's not that you walk the yard as Billy badass. You walk the yard being very, very very comfortable, you know, what what whatever you want to do, bring it on. And the van once they get that about you, you know, they're ⁓ most of them want to get out. And they know that if they come after you, they're not going to get out anytime soon. You use that psychology on them. Yeah. Well, John, we really appreciate you running for the position that a lot of us might question ourselves doing. And so it's a really valuable position for our communities. And we thank you for your service and your willingness to run again. So there must be more good than bad in the position, and we'd love to see that. Diane, it's very very nice to see you. It's been a real pleasure. ⁓ I hope you'll consider being coming back because I I love things like this. And as far as I'm concerned, the constable is a very unsung part of the law enforcement community and that needs to change. Absolutely. Absolutely. Once you win your election, John, we'll have you back on. How's that? I would look I would look forward to that. Sounds good to me. Thank you. And maybe I can get the camera working by then. Okay. ⁓ All right. Well, thank you everybody for being here today. It's been another great episode. Very educational. Thank you, John. ⁓ looking forward to seeing you with us again. Okay. Take care. Thanks, John. Thank you so very much. Bye bye. Bye.