A fired Tempe police commander accused of leaking information in a controversial arrest of an out-of-state police officer could lose his peace officer certification after the agency that licenses law enforcement in Arizona voted to initiate proceedings against him earlier this month.
The Tempe Police Department fired Rashidi S. Johnson in Sept. 2025 after it investigated him for leaking sensitive information about the arrest of Jalen Woods, a Chicago police officer suing Tempe over what he called his racially motivated arrest. The department accused Johnson of lying about his communications outside of the department’s official channels during its internal investigation.
In its September meeting, the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, also known as AZPOST, voted to begin disciplinary proceedings against Johnson. After his termination, Johnson accused Tempe of using police data to harass the city’s homeless population, an accusation that an investigation found to be unfounded. He filed a notice of claim against the department and accused them of racial discrimination. He also appealed his firing and lost. Now, after the September vote by the AZPOST board, he could lose his license as well or have it suspended…