Full interview: Ex-cop reacts to sergeant tipping of 'drinking buddy' ahead of raid | FOX 10 Phoenix

Ajouté : 2026-04-29

[00:00:00]A decorated police officer is now under arrest. Mesa Sergeant Edward Fire charged for allegedly tipping off a drug dealer ahead of a SWAT raid. The accusation sparking a new internal investigation and also concerns over what other criminal cases he has handled in the past. Josh Logan is a former law enforcement officer right here in the valley. He's also a training expert in public safety. Josh, you're joining us now to talk a little bit more about the case. Thanks so much for joining us tonight.

[00:00:31]>> Thank you for having me.

[00:00:32]>> Okay, so first off, what is your just reaction in general uh to these allegations against Edward Fire.

[00:00:39]>> So uh similar to what um you know, Chief Chapman said is uh that it's a it's an absolute stain on on the badge in the honor of being a law enforcement officer. Um, it's, you know, we do I I went out every day and did the best I possibly could to protect our communities and 99.9% of police officers do that and it takes that one bad actor to to ruin a lot of good work.

[00:01:04]>> Yeah. And it sounds like, I guess, that they had some kind of relationship. He said they were drinking buddies, whatever. They lived in close proximity, lived near an apartment. Can you talk about just though the danger that the SWAT team could have faced? I mean, if this guy, you know, used a weapon, for example, when the when he knew that the SWAT team was coming for him, >> right? I mean, a narcotics uh search warrant has its dangers already. Yeah.

[00:01:32]When we're talking about when we're talking about uh usually drugs and narcotics, we typically talk about guns and a lot of different uh other dangers.

[00:01:40]Um when we talk about SWAT operations, the element of surprise is as absolutely paramount. Um and and Chief Chapman nailed it. Um, there's so many things that could have gone wrong and and it's near and dear to my heart because that's my that's my agency. That's my former agency and these are people that I that I hold dear to my heart. Um, and to endanger them to that level. Um, I've had many friends that uh in my life that I've had to leave because um of what I did uh and the choices that they make and you took an oath uh to to you protect and defend and and just he just completely eroded all of that and just for the sake of a drinking buddy. Uh it's just it's it's hard to find words uh on that end.

[00:02:26]>> Yeah. And it will be hard. I mean, if there's, you know, as we're saying, text messages and a call made, you know, to alert him, that's going to be very difficult to to fight in court for the police officer. Our reporting also uncovered the close relationship between them. Can you talk about just the danger of having a relationship with someone who is involved in drugs? And I know that, you know, for guys and women who are undercover, that is a completely different situation, but can you just talk about just kind of as an officer, you have to be very careful with who you have a relationship with in g in general?

[00:03:04]>> Well, you you mentioned undercover work there. It's a line. It's a it's a line that you just don't cross. So, even working undercover and or plane clothes, um, you just don't cross that line. And there there's things that we you you can tolerate uh and to a certain sense. Um but when it comes to criminal behavior, known criminal behavior happening in front of you, around you, and you allow that in your life, you're crossing a line. And then when you cross that line into from knowing that there's criminal behavior happening around your life, then doing said criminal behavior, that just completely uh changes the paradigm.

[00:03:43]and and and the fact that it's, you know, it just everything is unacceptable. But now we're we're actually talking about endangering the lives of SWAT officers, which then could potentially endanger the lives of of the other residents. It it's just it's incomprehensible. Absolutely incomprehensible. Um, you know, they're still early on in the investigation.

[00:04:03]We're going to let the investigation do the the investigators do their work. Uh, but it it just it's like what it's not even what you're thinking. It's just it's just terrible all the way.

[00:04:14]Terrible.

[00:04:15]>> Last question before you go. If I am a defense attorney and I know that my client had been investigated potentially by Edward Fire in the past, do you think that as a defense attorney that they could be going, "Hey, maybe I should look into this guy. Maybe there could be problems with the case that we didn't really know until, you know, this case has come up with him and there are concerns about his credibility.

[00:04:44]>> Absolutely. Uh, you know, there's a there's a thing we call the Brady List and and and that's a uh a case law that that establishes that uh criminal conduct or uh lying on the stand essentially makes a officer completely um you know uncredible incredible to uh testify in court. So, this brings up all of his cases and he may have done amazing uh police work, but once an a police officer's integrity is in question, then it can really just erode every aspect of what they do for their entire career. And so, yeah, there's there's a valid point where defense attorneys can now look up cases um that have been tried and and have been adjudicated and possibly have an appeal or possibly have let's take a second look at this. And if if he's lying about this, that's the always the question. If he's lying about this, what else is he lying about?

[00:05:37]>> And that's why as police officers, we have to be completely above reproach, unquestionable.

[00:05:43]>> Yeah. All right, Josh, thank you so much for your perspective tonight. and I know that we've done stories with you in the past and and you're again just such a valuable resource.