The “Thin Blue Line” in Northeastern Arizona is stronger with the Dec. 12, swearing-in of seven new peace officers. The cadets recently completed the intensive 21-week Arizona Peace Officer Standards for Training (AzPOST) at Northland Pioneer College’s (NPC) Northeastern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy (NALETA).
Navajo County Superior Court Presiding Judge Joseph Clark administered the oath of office to the recruits. Sworn in were new Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) deputies Edydaniel Corrales and Rudy Willis Jr., who was also nominated as the class’s speaker. Joining them were classmates and new officers Aidan Boggs of the Holbrook Police Department, Lee Kasson and Michael Quiroz of the Show Low Police Department, Nayeli Moreno of the Clifton Police Department, and Round Valley’s newest police officer, Trenton York.
Sergeant Dustin Matkin of NCSO served as the class’s supervisor. Fellow NCSO sergeant Robert Santos guided the recruits through the academy.
The class’s Top Firearms Award and Top Defensive Driving award went to Boggs. Willis earned the class’s top physical fitness award. The prestigious David Kellywood Top Recruit Award went to Kasson, who also earned the Top Academic Excellence Award. A special award was also given to Corrales, or “Cone Killer,” for hitting the most cones during the class’s defensive driving training.
NALETA is a partnership with regional law enforcement agencies that assign sworn officers as instructors under NPC’s Public Safety Education program. Centrally located at the Northeast Arizona Training Center (Jake Flake Emergency Services Institute) in Taylor, NALETA is a fully accredited AzPOST “closed” academy. This means students can only enroll in the police academy under the sponsorship of a local law enforcement agency.
At a minimum, a prospective recruit must be at least 21 years of age by the end of the academy and be able to pass a variety of tests. These include physical agility, firearms, written tests, a background investigation and a polygraph.
For more information about AzPOST eligibility requirements, visit post.az.gov or contact the police or sheriff’s office where you would like to begin your law enforcement career. Tribal officers, Game and Fish wardens and agricultural inspectors are also sworn peace officers.
To learn more, contact NPC’s Director of NALETA and Public Safety Education, Chad Kreuger, at (928) 536-6263 or chadley.kreuger@npc.edu or visit NPC’s website, https://www.npc.edu/natc. To view a photo gallery of the 2025 fall completers ceremony, visit https://www.npc.edu/photos.
