CAMP VERDE, AZ - On February 9, 2022, Preston Brogdon went to work for the last time as a sergeant for the Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department, being shot in the line of duty that night. Recently, he was fired by the department.
Brogdon began his service with the Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department in 2018 following his service in the United States Marine Corps. “I was lost after the military. Becoming a police officer grounded me, I found my purpose,” Brogdon said in a recent interview with Law Enforcement Today.
Due to five officers leaving the department in his first year, Brogdon was a senior officer almost right away. He continued to work hard to serve his community, and in 2020 he became a drug task force officer before being promoted to sergeant just three and a half years after joining the department.
His growth within the department and service to his community came to a halt when Brogdon and another officer responded to reports of gunfire in Camp Verde on the evening of February 9, 2022.
Upon arriving on scene, the officers can be seen on bodycam footage chasing an individual and giving commands. The suspect began shooting, and officers returned fire. Brogdon was hit and the video shows him being dragged to a patrol car by his partner.
Brogdon sustained life-threatening injuries and was flown to a hospital in the Phoenix area, where he underwent three life-saving surgeries. After waking from a six-day coma, he was eventually transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
Now, two years after all of this, the Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department fired Brogdon.
In February, he was notified of his termination. He was fired before he could be retired as a police officer and therefore is not eligible for benefits that he would have otherwise received.
“They bring me to a back room. They tell me it’s been two years; we have to let you go. At least you have disability. That’s the exact words I was told,” Brogdon told AZ Family. “All the paperwork they had for me was my 401k. They didn’t have the knowledge or ability to do a hardship withdrawal or to roll it over without me taking a penalty. So I had to take a penalty. Which they made sure to tell the 401k agency that I was terminated, so when I called to ask for a hardship withdrawal, I couldn’t even get that because the paperwork said I was terminated.”
To make matters worse, according to Brogdon, the department sent him two separate backdated letters. One said that he willfully resigned, which was not true, and the other said that he was terminated due to not being able to return to work.
Still waiting for his disability to be finalized and just beginning to learn to drive again, Brogdon’s focus is protecting and providing for his family while healing.
He also wants to see some accountability. Due to the sovereignty of the tribal police department from which he was terminated, finding an attorney to take his case is proving to be difficult. Everything about the way this has happened is wrong.
“I’m not looking for money or a handout,” Brogdon told LET. “I’m looking for accountability. I want the next guy to be treated better. I mean, what happens when no one wants to be a cop?”
“I did my duty to my country and the community that I live in. Now I want to heal and be a Dad,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult.”
While he waits, fights, and heals, his family has set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
Brogdon began his service with the Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department in 2018 following his service in the United States Marine Corps. “I was lost after the military. Becoming a police officer grounded me, I found my purpose,” Brogdon said in a recent interview with Law Enforcement Today.
Due to five officers leaving the department in his first year, Brogdon was a senior officer almost right away. He continued to work hard to serve his community, and in 2020 he became a drug task force officer before being promoted to sergeant just three and a half years after joining the department.
His growth within the department and service to his community came to a halt when Brogdon and another officer responded to reports of gunfire in Camp Verde on the evening of February 9, 2022.
Upon arriving on scene, the officers can be seen on bodycam footage chasing an individual and giving commands. The suspect began shooting, and officers returned fire. Brogdon was hit and the video shows him being dragged to a patrol car by his partner.
Brogdon sustained life-threatening injuries and was flown to a hospital in the Phoenix area, where he underwent three life-saving surgeries. After waking from a six-day coma, he was eventually transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
Now, two years after all of this, the Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department fired Brogdon.
In February, he was notified of his termination. He was fired before he could be retired as a police officer and therefore is not eligible for benefits that he would have otherwise received.
“They bring me to a back room. They tell me it’s been two years; we have to let you go. At least you have disability. That’s the exact words I was told,” Brogdon told AZ Family. “All the paperwork they had for me was my 401k. They didn’t have the knowledge or ability to do a hardship withdrawal or to roll it over without me taking a penalty. So I had to take a penalty. Which they made sure to tell the 401k agency that I was terminated, so when I called to ask for a hardship withdrawal, I couldn’t even get that because the paperwork said I was terminated.”
To make matters worse, according to Brogdon, the department sent him two separate backdated letters. One said that he willfully resigned, which was not true, and the other said that he was terminated due to not being able to return to work.
Still waiting for his disability to be finalized and just beginning to learn to drive again, Brogdon’s focus is protecting and providing for his family while healing.
He also wants to see some accountability. Due to the sovereignty of the tribal police department from which he was terminated, finding an attorney to take his case is proving to be difficult. Everything about the way this has happened is wrong.
“I’m not looking for money or a handout,” Brogdon told LET. “I’m looking for accountability. I want the next guy to be treated better. I mean, what happens when no one wants to be a cop?”
“I did my duty to my country and the community that I live in. Now I want to heal and be a Dad,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult.”
While he waits, fights, and heals, his family has set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
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The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments
2024-06-04T12:55-0400 | Comment by: Robert
This agency should be ashamed of themselves, this officer risks his life and this is how they treat him. I would like to see the department policy on when or how long an officer is out for a line of duty injury that they have the right to terminate him. What doctor stated he can never work again as a Police Officer? This officer should be suing this department and each individual for their actions. He also should put in the lawsuit to be reimbursed for the tax penalty on his 401k. The lawsuit should state he was not terminated. I hope he sues the living pants of the department and there are Federal violations also. Even if he could not go back to patrol due to his injuries, they couldn't offer him a civilian position inside the department to keep him active and be able to support this department. He is a better question, they had five officers leave when he first joined, why so much turnover? Someone needs to look into that. I would contact the FOP and see what lawyer is available. Some lawyer might take this Pro Bono. I wish the officer the best of luck and good health
2024-06-04T15:50-0400 | Comment by: Don
My agency attempted to do this to me (they did, but they didn't get away with it). I call this "Throw-away Employees." When an employee (LE) is injured some administrators find it easier to throw away the employee than to keep the employee. Considering the time and money that goes into training an LE employee this is bad judgment, not to mention against the law (Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title VII). The problem here is whether or not Title VII applies to American Indian Tribal Police Departments. If it does, then the employee needs to be sensitive to the time (Statute of Limitations). Most often, an employee misses the timelines and becomes time-barred, and the abusive employer gets away with it. This LEO needs to contact EEOC to determine if he is covered under Title VII. By the way, I was made whole (or somewhat close to it) and retired from a component of USDOJ in 2008. This is a horrible way to treat human resources, but not all upper managers and administrators are selected and trained equally. This is a genuine problem in many organizations. I agree with others here. The agency should be ashamed of themselves. I pray that this LEO finds a desired solution.