SNOWFLAKE — Northeast Arizona's “Thin Blue Line” is getting a little bit stronger with the Dec. 15 swearing-in of four new peace officers. Cadets recently completed an intensive 21-week Arizona Peace Officer Training Standard (AzPOST) at the Northeast Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy (NALETA) at Northland Pioneer College (NPC).

Navajo County Superior Court Chief Judge Mikala M. Rushelle administered the oath of office to the recruits. Ashley Watson, who was also named class speaker, was sworn in, along with new Navajo County Deputies Justin Hart and Desiree Rodriguez, and new Round Valley Police Department Delegate Thomas Scruggs. The ceremony was held.

Sergeant Jay Valenzuela of the Grove Police Department supervised the class. Navajo County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Vince Palazzolo and Officer Les Shumway, recently retired from the Snowflake Police Department, guided the recruits through the academy.

Palazzolo and Shumway presented the Best Firearm Award to Justin Hart, the Physical Fitness Award to Thomas Scruggs, and the Class Academic Award to Desiree Rodriguez. Ashley Watson won both the Defensive Driving Award and the David Kellywood Top Recruiting Award.

“NALETA is a true partnership with local law enforcement, appointing sworn police officers as college instructors at no cost,” said Chad Krueger, NPC's Director of Public Safety Education. NALETA is his fully accredited AzPOST “private” academy located in the heart of the Northeast Arizona Training Center (Jake Flake Emergency Services Institute) in Taylor. This means students can only enroll under the sponsorship of a law enforcement agency.

Spring NALETA Class 2024-1 is scheduled to begin on January 29, 2024. If you are interested in becoming an Arizona Certified Peace Officer, contact the agency you would like to work with to begin the process as soon as possible. It may take him 4 to 8 weeks to complete.

At a minimum, prospective hires must be 21 years of age or older at the time of academy completion. You can pass a variety of tests including physical agility, firearms tests, written tests, background checks, and polygraphs.

More information about AzPOST eligibility requirements is available online. post.az.gov.

Information source Navajo County.