The long turmoil of the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, after the resignation of former Marshal Nancy Gardner in March, may soon be over, as Town Manager Russ Martin approaches a decision between two finalists for the top post: Scott Peters and Corey Rowley.
Peters and Rowley visited Camp Verde for the first time last week, spending Friday, Sept. 7, meeting with the Town Council, officers of the marshal’s office, and at Thanks A Latte with interested members of the community and the press.
Both candidates would come to Camp Verde from small communities: Peters serves as interim chief in the police department of Italy, Texas, which has a population of under 2,000, while Rowley is the chief of police in Yakutat, Alaska, a municipality of fewer than 1,000 residents that covers an area of nearly 10,000 square miles.
The two candidates each saw Camp Verde’s unique character as a reason to transfer here.
“The rural setting of Camp Verde is important to me,” Rowley told those assembled at Thanks A Latte, noting also the improvement in the hotter desert weather compared to the Alaska cold. “I accomplished the things I wanted to up there. I want to do the remainder of a career in one town. Camp Verde met all the elements I was looking for.”
Rowley, a graduate of the FBI National Academy, spoke of his experience in Alaska that trained him to react to a variety of problems. He mentioned that he had gotten used to sleeping with his radio on, in case an emergency came up, and the skills he gained in leading a police force.
“I know what it takes to run a team,” Rowley said. “If we have good community partnerships, the people are more apt to trust the police department and call you.”
Peters also spoke about his abilities as a team leader, saying that it was partially Camp Verde’s troubled year that attracted him to the marshal’s office.
“I like fixing things,” Peters said. “I’m an officer’s chief, but I’m also an administrator’s chief. We talk about transparency — the officers have to know what’s going on. You have to be open.”
Peters said he sees some similarities between Camp Verde and Italy, Texas, while noting as well that the two towns have their own characteristics.
“I’ve been in small towns,” Peters said. “I’ve been in big towns. Everyone is different. I see a lot of potential here.”
Town Manager Russ Martin said he hopes to make a final decision in the coming weeks, with the new marshal starting in early October if everything goes according to plan. This is the second round of the marshal search, after Martin’s previous choice for the job, Randy Foster of the Bloomfield, N.M. Police Department, withdrew because of a family illness, leading to a second round of applications.
Cmdr. Brian Armstrong, who has served as acting marshal since Gardner resigned in March — and was under consideration for the position in both rounds of the search before withdrawing his name due to his residency in the Village of Oak Creek — said he was happy with what he saw from both candidates, and said he hoped the Marshal’s Office could finally get back to normal after a turbulent year, though he praised the officers for keeping things together.
“It might have been a good thing, after all, to wait so long,” Armstrong said. “The department’s had enough time to heal and that will help the new marshal get off to a good start. They can come in, pick up and start going. I think they’re fortunate they won’t be the rebound marshal.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com`
