An Arizona police licensing board has launched formal proceedings against a former Gila River police officer accused of pouring a 40 ounce bottle of malt liquor down the throat of a handcuffed man during a March 9 mental health call. The case, which could cost the officer his certification statewide, centers on ex officer Frank Reynoso, who was fired by the Gila River Police Department for what officials described as negligence of duty.
Board Opens Formal Probe
Meeting in Flagstaff in July, members of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board voted to open an investigation into Reynoso. Compliance staff told the board that the man at the center of the March 9 call was someone Reynoso already knew and that, after officers handcuffed the man behind his back, he asked for something to drink. Reynoso, who was working as a field training officer at the time, allegedly tipped a 40 ounce bottle of malt liquor into the man’s mouth. Those details and the board’s vote were reported by Phoenix New Times.
What The Board Can Do
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board sets minimum standards for peace officers across the state and has legal authority to deny, suspend, revoke or cancel an officer’s certification after an investigation and hearing process. If the board pulls an officer’s certification, that former officer cannot work as a peace officer anywhere in Arizona, even if local prosecutors decline to file criminal charges. That statutory role and the board’s investigative powers are outlined by the Arizona State Library.
Discipline Trends And Local Context
Reynoso was one of several officers the board moved to investigate during the July meeting, part of a recent uptick in disciplinary activity by AZPOST. According to Phoenix New Times, the board punished 42 current and former officers in 2025, underscoring its role as a kind of last line of defense for policing standards in Arizona. This particular case has drawn notice because it grew out of a mental health response and has raised pointed questions about how officers are trained to handle people in crisis.
Legal Implications
If the board ultimately finds that Reynoso’s conduct violated professional standards, it can impose a suspension or move to revoke his certification entirely, a step that would block him from holding peace officer authority anywhere in the state. That framework, and the board’s power to act independently of whatever a local department decides, is laid out in state agency records maintained by the Arizona State Library.
