Welcome to 🌵Arizona Unscripted — the show all about Arizona: the people, the places, the food, the fun, and the stories that make the Grand Canyon State unlike anywhere else. In this episode, Jim takes the host's chair and is joined by co-hosts Diane, Kathryn, and Carol for a fun and surprisingly educational conversation about one of Arizona's lesser-known elected offices: What exactly does a constable do? Their guest is John Hoge, Constable of La Paz County, who is seeking another term in office and has plenty of stories to tell about what the job is really like. ⚖️ SO...WHAT IS A CONSTABLE? John explains the constable's role working with Arizona's Justice Courts, including serving summonses, court documents, eviction papers, and writs of restitution. In larger Arizona counties, constables can stay extremely busy handling numerous cases each day. But La Paz County presents a different challenge — lots of territory, long drives, remote communities, RV parks, and sometimes addresses that aren't particularly easy to find. John quickly learned an important lesson: sometimes asking for a landmark, neighborhood, business, or RV park works a lot better than asking for a street address. 🚪 KNOCKING ON DOORS NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO KNOCK ON John describes his job rather simply: sometimes he's the person who has to knock on the doors nobody else wants to knock on. A retired correctional officer, John explains how his previous career taught him to read people, remain calm in uncomfortable situations, and use a little psychology when trying to locate someone who may not be particularly excited to see the constable standing outside. And sometimes the neighbors unknowingly help him out! 🚔 IS A CONSTABLE A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER? The conversation explores the unusual legal authority that comes with the position, the differences between constables, sheriffs, and police officers, and some of the practical limitations of being essentially a one-person department. John also explains that his work isn't necessarily confined to La Paz County. Under certain circumstances, he can serve documents in neighboring counties such as Mohave and Yuma. 🐴 WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HORSE? Because this is Arizona, someone inevitably asks whether constables still ride around on horseback. John assures everyone that he drives. Apparently it saves a lot on hay — although with the price of gasoline, he may need to reconsider. ❤️ AND HOW DID HE BECOME A CONSTABLE? That may be the best story of the episode. John reveals that his journey into elected office began when an RV park manager he was dating complained that she couldn't get some summonses served. John volunteered to help. He ran for constable, got elected, served the papers... ...and about a month later, she broke up with him. Fortunately, he discovered that he actually liked the job. From serving court papers and navigating rural Arizona to RV parks, long drives, neighborhood psychology, law enforcement stories, and a little Wild West humor, this episode offers an entertaining look at an important public office that often flies under the radar. John calls the constable an "unsung part of the law enforcement community" — and by the end of this conversation, you'll understand why. 🌵 Arizona Unscripted — exploring Arizona one conversation at a time.
