SURPRISE, AZ — More than a dozen activists criticized Surprise leaders at the city’s latest council meeting for the police department’s decision to host a fired prosecutor to train detectives.
The criticism came after ABC15 reported that April Sponsel will hold a pair of courtroom testimony training classes at police headquarters.
The first one is scheduled for April 11th.
“Sponsel was fired from her position with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for incompetency, inefficiency, and neglect of duty,” said one of the speakers. “The county in which Surprise resides decided they can’t work with Sponsel; and yet, here she is, preparing to work with your police department.”
In a series of speeches lasting nearly an hour, the activists spoke on behalf of Mass Liberation AZ, which represented and supported protesters who were falsely charged by Sponsel and Phoenix officers in 2020.
Because of council meeting rules, city officials are not able to directly respond to matters not on the agenda.
But in a statement sent to ABC15 after the meeting, the Surprise Police Department again defended the decision to host Sponsel and the training company, Five Eight Group, that’s employing her.
“The Surprise Police Department has agreed to allow Five Eight group to hold the training at its facility in exchange for two free seats in the class, and we are sending two police officers to the training. Other agencies may participate for a fee payable to the Five Eight Group,” according to an emailed statement.
The statement continued, “Before agreeing to allow Five Eight Group to use our facility for this training, the department identified a need to provide continuing training to our detectives, especially in connection with testifying on felony cases. Michael Pezzelle and April Sponsel of the Five Eight Group offer training directly on this topic.”
A spokesperson added that the department holds its members to a high standard of ethics, integrity and professionalism.
Sponsel was fired from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office last year, and she’s currently under State Bar investigation for multiple complaints.
In addition to the upcoming training classes, emails show that a Surprise police detective has been communicating with Sponsel about how to explain gaps in body camera footage.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
