Membership in AZCOPS is open to all municipal police officers, deputy sheriffs, correctional officers and probation officers in the state of Arizona who are members of an AZCOPS-affiliated local organization.
Find out if there is an AZCOPS affiliate in your area by viewing our list of local organizations.
Click here to see a list of AZCOPS affiliates
Contact us to find out how you can become a member.
We are not the best because we are the biggest.
We are the biggest because we are the best.
A selfless commitment to service is what makes AZCOPS different
By Tim Clark, Chief of Staff
The most common question asked of all union organizers is, “What makes your organization different from the others?”
For many unions, the answer is little more than a well-rehearsed sales script. Organizers have memorized the script and say it so often that they sound like phone room operators trying to fill a sales quota.
Well, AZCOPS is different. And those of us who field that question dozens of times a day never get tired of answering it. As police, deputies, probation and correctional officers, we’ve been members of the other unions and we are proud of what makes AZCOPS different. This union was born because rank and file officers from agencies across Arizona grew weary of paying hard-earned membership dues to tired organizations that didn’t communicate with them and rarely produced meaningful change.
They wanted a union that would stand by them in every police station, sheriff’s office, probation department, county jail and state prison. When things got hot, they wanted a union that would stand up for them in court. In places where politicians are the decision-makers, they wanted a union that would look for opportunities to be an advocate.
Eleven years and 9,000 members later, AZCOPS continues to grow in numbers and political power because we listen to our members, and every day look for opportunities to serve them better. That’s why the Navajo County Probation Officers Association and the Safford Police Officers Association affiliated with AZCOPS this year. In their desire to make Arizona a better place for public safety professionals, they looked to AZCOPS for leadership.
While AZCOPS is known statewide for being able to accomplish meaningful change for member organizations, the union also has a reputation for taking
good care of its members. That reputation follows the union around the state, including the Arizona Department of Corrections where AZCOPS Organizer Chris Currie and leaders of the local affiliate have doubled the size of the union in just two years.
Currie, who travels from one unit to another each week to enroll new members, said correctional officers appreciate AZCOPS for taking care of its members inside the state prison system. Earlier this year, Gov. Janet Napolitano signed an Executive Order granting meet and confer for prison staff. Armed with political influence powered by a growing membership, AZCOPS Vice President to Corrections Tixoc Munoz told the Governor it was time correctional employees had a voice in the decision-making process.
“It was a real victory for the hardworking men and women of Arizona’s prison system,” said Currie, a former probation officer and juvenile corrections officer.
For two years, Currie has worked exclusively with the correctional arm of AZCOPS and has helped grow the union from 2,400 members to more than 4,000 statewide. Currie enjoys talking with officers about the value of union membership. He became active in the public safety union movement while working as a
probation officer in Maricopa County. He organized co-workers and grew the Arizona Probation Officers Association by almost 500 members.
Currie said his goal is to organize all DOC employees. Every week, he works with local leaders to organize membership drives at various prison units. He sets up a table and some shade outside and visits with employees on all shifts as they make their way inside or as they head home.
“I’m a true believer in AZCOPS and know from my own experience as a probation officer what this union does for its members,” he said. “It’s a message I never get tired of delivering.”
When they ask what makes AZCOPS different from the others, Chris and others speak from experience -- it’s the willingness of its leaders to be true servants of the people. Together, we do whatever it takes to take care of members and their families. It’s what makes us the best.