According to new documents obtained by American Ledger, Arizona State Rep. Anthony Kern knowingly misled the public about his credentials as a registered peace officer after years of claiming just the opposite.
American Ledger obtained two private investigation agency applications from 2014 and 2016 where Kern declared that he was not a certified peace officer. These applications were filed during the same time period the state representative was boasting about these credentials to his fellow GOP colleagues in order to influence the passage of legislation. The documents were obtained through a public records request filed with the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
In a March 2015 Republican caucus meeting, Kern falsely claimed to hold peace officer credentials when recommending the passage of a law enforcement reform bill through the Arizona legislature. Kern’s claims during the meeting were of public record, and when investigated further, The Arizona Capitol Times uncovered he held no such credentials.
When reached for comment by The Washington Times, Kern claimed confusion, stating that he “genuinely believed he was a peace officer.”
Despite being confronted by the media, The Phoenix New Times reported that Kern continued to claim on his campaign finance disclosures in January 2016 and January 2017 that he was a licensed peace officer when he was not. However, Kern did properly disclose to the private investigative agency that he was not licensed in September 2016.
Kern finally received his peace officer license in March 2017.
Kern is seeking reelection in November to represent the Arizona House of Representatives 20th District.