When we first reported Camp Verde Town Manager Russ Martin suspended Camp Verde Marshal Nancy Gardner pending an internal investigation conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, we did not expect the report released by the town earlier this month.
We, like most in Camp Verde, assumed this would be a serious investigation but one that would ultimately exonerate the marshal, who was well-liked in the community she served, trusted by law enforcement agencies throughout the rest of the Verde Valley and who appeared to run her department efficiently. We had heard a few grumblings through the grapevine, but nothing the scale DPS revealed.
As a news outlet deeply invested in our communities, we of course would have preferred some direction from the Camp Verde Town Manager’s Office so we had some guidance about what was coming down the pike, but as the weeks dragged into months, it became abundantly clear that the investigation wasn’t about a single incident or missing receipt, but trouble inside CVMO that was deeply ingrained and systemic.
After reading DPS’ 43-page Professional Standards investigative summary, excerpts of which we reported on in last week’s The Camp Verde Journal, it was clear to us that Gardner had to go.
It would appear we were as hornswoggled as most of the town who assumed the outward appearance of the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office reflected the internal operations. Even other law enforcement personnel in the Verde Valley were surprised by the revelations in the report.
Gardner’s behavior in the CVMO station, her disrespect of her sworn officers and support staff, and a management style that appeared to pit staff against one another, reward allies and punish detractors was inexcusable.
We commend Martin for making that hard decision to terminate Gardner swiftly within days of receiving the final report.
Had CVMO staff come forward with complaints when they first arose, Gardner may have changed her behavior and avoided going off the rails to the point of being investigated and losing her job.
Declining to speak up was a failure of the officers to report problems as they arose and a failure of the town manager to appear willing to listen to serious personnel complaints. CVMO staff and Martin must now rebuild their relationship, which will take time, but terminating Gardner was a positive first step.
The criminal investigation, which briefly paused the Professional Standards Investigation, revealed ongoing misuse of public funds, though investigators ultimately determined Gardner did not attempt to defraud the town to benefit herself.
If Gardner was a small business owner, giving her staff paid days off as “appreciation days” and using petty cash to pay for new uniforms and a birthday lunch would make her a pretty understanding boss, albeit one who might run afoul of an Internal Revenue Service audit.
However, Gardner was not running a small business, she was running a public agency and the money she misused was not hers, it was yours, dear taxpayers.
Worse than that, her public agency was a law enforcement division, which is supposed to the beacon of lawfulness in a community. When there is corruption, real or merely perceived, it undercuts confidence in that agency and dishonors all those who wear the uniform.
With Gardner’s departure, her eventual replacement faces the difficulty in rebuilding this basic trust with the community before he or she can move forward. We sincerely hope the next officer to wear the marshal’s star will be a paragon of virtue, good behavior, accountability and honesty.
Christopher Fox Graham
Managing Editor
