Off-duty Douglas Police officer in distress, prompting law enforcement response

DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Law enforcement agencies in Cochise County responded to a mental health crisis involving one of their own on Sunday afternoon in Douglas.

Just after 12:30 p.m., the Douglas Police Department responded to a call near 10th Street and Madison Avenue. Officers didn’t initially realize the call involved a fellow officer who was in distress, prompting the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office to respond with negotiators.

The off-duty officer in crisis has served with the Douglas Police Department for two decades.

Negotiators from the Sierra Vista Police Department and Cochise County Sheriff’s Office spoke with the man and his family for hours. Sheriff Mark Dannels said an inaccurate social media post caused additional trouble for the response team and made the officer even more distraught.

A hostage negotiator eventually convinced the officer to surrender peacefully after hours of conversation. No one was injured during the incident.

“Something about being in law enforcement. Everybody thinks we can deconflict both professionally and personally, but when it comes to our personal side, it’s not the case,” Dannels said. “We were no different than any human being out there, even though we wear the uniform. So obviously, we wish him well. We wish the family of the Douglas Police Department well as they navigate along with their officer.”

The scene was cleared just after 5 p.m., and streets were reopened by 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Dannels said there will be no further investigation because no crimes were committed. The officer was taken to receive treatment.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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