The Pima County Board of Supervisors will discuss whether to remove Officer Oscar Vasquez from office or suspend him without pay at Tuesday's meeting. Reportedly, he is not performing his duties and he could be removed from his position.

The Arizona Constable Ethics, Standards and Training Commission urged Vasquez to resign from his elected position in a December letter, and in the same month told the Board of Supervisors that an investigation revealed that Vasquez would not be on the job after April 2023. I was told that it turned out that it was not.

Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva has added an item to next week's board meeting to discuss and potentially take action against Vasquez, a potential primary challenger.

Document: CESTB Report on Officer Oscar Vazquez

Vazquez, a Democrat, has not responded directly to the oversight committee, but told the Ethics Commission in December 2023 that due to a “seemingly minor accident” and the resulting complications and need for surgery, He said he was suffering “considerable pain and suffering.” Because of this, he was unable to work. He said he tried to return to his duties under pressure from Detective Sergeant Eric Kruznalich, but he “found that further surgery was required”.

“These injuries have forced me to reduce my mobility, impacting my ability to get in and out of cars, navigate stairs and uneven terrain, and refrain from working in dangerous nighttime environments. ” Vazquez wrote. “Given my deteriorating health, I am unable to adequately protect myself if the situation requires.”

But Vazquez said he “remains focused on meeting the immediate requirements of my position to support the department as staffing issues worsen.”

This staffing issue is at the root of an ethics complaint filed by Krznarich in September 2023, in which Krznarich said Vazquez's caseload was “spread out among other officers, increasing his already high caseload.” is increasing further,” he said.

Mr. Krznaric said Mr. Vasquez refused to provide documentation about his medical problems.

Vasquez did not respond to Tucson Supervisors' requests for comment on the matter before county supervisors this week.

Officers are tasked with delivering legal documents such as eviction notices and orders of protection.

Pima County's nine constables are each paid $67,000. Supervisors voted in 2021 to eliminate the 5th Precinct position by the end of 2022, citing a decline in the number of cases in the Eastside area.

The Officers Ethics, Standards and Training Commission is familiar with Vasquez, who has been the subject of several complaints. In 2023, he was warned for sending “unwanted and inappropriate images” to a Tucson woman via Facebook Messenger.

The board also asked him to resign in 2021 for failing to evict apartment residents “despite complaints to officers that the defendants were causing problems at the complex.”

As a result of the incident, the Board of Supervisors suspended Vazquez for six months without pay.

He previously urinated in public on a voter's trailer while delivering a legal notice, damaged a county vehicle by driving at excessive speed, and failed to take a required anger management class. He received disciplinary action during his first term.

As a result of these incidents, regulators voted in September 2020 to suspend Vázquez for the remainder of his first term, but he won a second term without opposition later that year.

He has announced his intention to run again this year.

Vazquez faces a challenge in the July 30 Democratic primary from Tracy Ethridge Nielsen, who rose to the ranks of police chief during a 28-year career with the Pascua Yaqui Police Department. She said her candidacy was encouraged by law enforcement officials who were dissatisfied with Vasquez's performance and believed her background suited her for the job.

“In my opinion, he needs to go,” Ethridge-Nielsen said. “He's really destroying the entire profession of law enforcement and constables. …I have a strong background in law enforcement, and we are professional and have high ethical standards. I think I’m better suited for that position than Oscar.”

Ethridge Nielsen lives in Three Points and serves on the fire district board.

Candidates for elected office have an April 1st deadline to file this year's nomination petitions. Constable candidates running as Democrats in the 4th Judicial District must have at least 596 valid signatures from registered voters in that precinct. No Republican has filed a statement of interest in the race.

In a 97-page report sent to regulators Monday, the state Ethics Commission provides background on the Maricopa County Superior Court's decision to make constable positions vacant if they do not report for three months. Also included information.

Constables are independently elected by voters, but the Supervisory Board has the power to declare a constable's position vacant if it determines that the constable has neglected his or her duties for more than three months. In the event of dismissal, the supervisor will appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the term.