where do all the crooked cops go???? Original Article Cottonwood going to cops, maybe dogs By Paul Giblin, Tribune Columnist October 21, 2005 Somewhere, at this very moment, Rocky the Scottsdale police dog is filling out an application with the Cottonwood Police Department. It seems all disgraced Scottsdale cops eventually get to Cottonwood. There's plenty of room in that doghouse. First Scottsdale Police Chief Doug Bartosh, who was fired in January 2003, turned up as the Cottonwood police chief in February. Then Scottsdale police officer Gareth Braxton-Johnson, who resigned while under an internal affairs investigation in June, signed on as one of Cottonwood's finest Aug. 28. So really, how long can it be before Rocky takes the 100-mile trip up Interstate 17 to the Verde Valley? The route is well established. Scottsdale City Manager Jan Dolan fired Bartosh for poor communication and unwillingness to make changes within the department following an independent performance review. Braxton-Johnson quit while being investigated for making a series of potentially lifethreatening decisions when he responded to a possible armed robbery at a south Scottsdale store on April 25. Cottonwood officials presumably knew about Braxton-Johnson's service record when they hired him, city human relations director Dave Puzas said Thursday. "There was a background investigation of him by the police department," Puzas said. In that case, Bartosh knew Braxton-Johnson was suspended for 80 hours for arriving drunk behind the wheel of his personal vehicle at a Scottsdale police substation on Dec. 15. Supervisors didn't arrest him for DUI, because, they said, police didn't actually see him drive the vehicle. Bartosh also knew Braxton-Johnson's pay was cut 5 percent for six months because he stored equipment improperly in 2003. And of course, Bartosh must have remembered he suspended Braxton-Johnson for 80 hours for reporting overtime dishonestly in 2001. Bartosh did not return calls to discuss the Scottsdale-to-Cottonwood pipeline this week. Puzas said Bartosh made the decision to hire Braxton-Johnson to the 28-man Cottonwood police force, which serves Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Camp Verde and the surrounding area. Bartosh assigned Braxton-Johnson to serve as the school resource officer at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood. The officer's duties involve teaching a course on criminal law and police issues. Obviously, Rocky is prime Cottonwood cop material. Rocky bit an officer while searching for a shooting suspect Sept. 12. The officer shot Rocky in the hindquarters. He recovered quickly, rejoined the force and attacked two officers who were trying to subdue a man with a pipe Oct. 10. There's only one place where a dog with those issues can safely extend his career. Contact Paul Giblin by email, or phone (480) 970-2331