“Excuse me, but what is a constable?”
I am asked this very question literally every day. It is a bit surprising, as constables have been part of Arizona since 1864, people see our marked county vehicles driving around our communities daily, and people vote every four years on who holds the office. So, what is a constable?
Constables are the elected peace officers of the justice precinct. Let’s break that down:
First, constables are elected; every four years (on the congressional cycle here in Yavapai County), the voters elect a constable for their justice precinct within the county. The office of constable is a partisan county office, meaning that candidates run as a member of a political party (unlike town council members or school board members).
Second, constables are peace officers; they have similar powers, duties, and authority to the sheriff of a county – including making arrests and keeping the peace. The sheriff and constable are the only two elected peace officers in the state of Arizona. Constables, however, do not investigate crimes or make traffic stops. They are, however, required to act to protect life and property during the course of their duties.
Thirdly, constables serve a justice precinct; every county is divided into one or more justice precincts – Yavapai County is divided into five geographic justice precincts (Prescott, Verde Valley, Mayer, Seligman, and Bagdad-Yarnell). Each precinct has a justice of the peace and a constable. In short, the justice of the peace makes rulings on the bench, while the constable enforces those rulings in the real world.
But what does a constable actually do? Constables are the executive branch of the justice precinct – the enforcement arm of the justice court. The constable is often tasked with serving arrest warrants on those who fail to appear in court. If a tenant refuses a judge’s order to vacate a property after legal proceedings, the constable can be ordered to forcibly remove the tenant. If a defendant in a lawsuit loses their case, and then refuses to pay the judgement to the plaintiff, the constable may be ordered to seize their assets and sell them at auction. The constable serves orders of protection (“restraining orders”), and may be required to remove one party from the residence. The constable also serves criminal and civil summonses and subpoenas.
The constables of Yavapai County are one-man operations. There are no deputy constables, and they have no secretaries. The constables of Yavapai County answer their own phones, handle their incoming and outgoing court processes, make their own bank deposits, and are the ones serving the papers, processes, and warrants assigned to them by the courts.
Yavapai County is blessed in that all five of her elected constables are highly experienced lawmen. Prescott Precinct has Constable Ron Williams, who has been the constable there for 11 years, and has 21 years of experience as both a police officer and Yavapai County Deputy Sheriff. The Verde Valley Precinct has Constable Brandon Rumpf, who was appointed as constable last year, and had previously retired as a 28-year veteran of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. Mayer Precinct has Constable Donny Oen, who has been the constable there for 7 years, and who retired as a 22-year veteran of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. Seligman Precinct has Constable Rich Twiss, who was appointed as constable last year as well, and who previously served as the Chief of Police of Indio (California), and has a total of 37 years in law enforcement. Finally, Bagdad-Yarnell Precinct has Constable Bill Risen, who has been constable for 3 years, and is the former sheriff of La Paz county and a retired lieutenant from Monterey Park Police Department (California), with 44 years of law enforcement experience.
As you go about your day in Yavapai County, if you happen to see one of our constables, feel free to give a wave or say ‘hi’….And tell them you know what a constable is.
