FLDS Cities Await Disbandment Ruling, Police Decertification Decisions

Published: Monday, January 9, 2017 - 12:54pm
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(Photo Sarah Nichols - CC BY 2.0)
Colorado City is on the Arizona-Utah border.

Written closing arguments are due Monday for two polygamous towns that hope a federal judge won’t disband their shared police department.

Meanwhile, the decertification process continues for officers in the Colorado City Marshal’s Office. 

A jury ruled last year that the Marshal’s Office discriminated against non-members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Six of the agency’s officers face a wide-range of accusations, including that some lied to state and federal investigators. In November, the board overseeing Arizona law enforcement moved to decertify the officers. They have since appealed to an administrative law judge, and the process is expected to take months.

State officials said they've denied certification to a recently hired police officer for not meeting minimum standards.

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to disband the Marshal's Office. A ruling is expected before the end of February.