By Corinne Murdock |

The Chandler City Council will vote to renew a police union memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday, a weighty decision given recent allegations of an ongoing FBI corruption investigation involving one of the council members and the former police union president. 

Those purportedly under investigation are Councilwoman Jane Poston and former Chandler Law Enforcement Association (CLEA) President Michael Collins. As first reported by ABC15, Chandler’s recently retired police chief, Sean Duggan, claimed the existence of the FBI probe in an email to City Manager Joshua Wright last November. The FBI didn’t confirm the existence of any investigation in response to questioning from the outlet. 

“In this matter, information was uncovered indicating Collins and Poston may have committed violations of federal law and as such, an active public corruption criminal investigation is underway,” said Duggan. 

Poston denied the existence of any such investigation in a statement released earlier this month to ABC15, calling the claim an “unsubstantiated rumor.” The councilmember said she was unaware of Duggan’s email prior to the recent reporting on its contents. 

“No one from any investigative agency has contacted me. Based on the complete lack of evidence, I decided to treat this as the unfounded rumor I believe it to be,” said Poston. 

A spokesperson for the city also denied that the city manager was contacted by the FBI regarding such an investigation.

An additional, related concern ahead of Thursday’s vote relates to a potential conflict of interest for Poston over the proposed CLEA MOU. Poston’s company, J2 Media, has done public relations for CLEA in recent years, and serves as one of their business supporters.

One of J2 Media’s creations for CLEA in 2021 was a presentation advocating for terms of the existing MOU.

Thursday’s city council meeting will address the renewal of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CLEA to last through 2026. The updated MOU includes several substantive and expensive changes: 

• Merit increases of up to five percent for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years; 
• Maintaining the compensation market position at third market as a measure for market increases; 
• A $1,500 bonus to certain CLEA members;
• A five percent Special Assignment Pay Differential for officers assigned to Bike Team, School Resource Officer, Behavioral Health Unit, and Neighborhood Response Team; 
• Vacation accrual increases of .3 hours per pay period for 0-5 years of service, .4 hours per pay period for 5-10 years of service, .1 hours per pay period for 10-15 years of service, and the annual maximum vacation accrual cap increase of 80 hours;
• A $10,000 contribution into the Post Employment Health Plan (PEHP) of any officer with 10 or more years of service; 
• A $25 per pay period contribution increase into PEHP accounts by the city;
• $900 to $1,750 graded PEHP sick leave contribution amounts based on years of service;
• A one-time $10,000 PEHP contribution for officers with 10 years or more of service who didn’t receive a 2024 contribution;
• A one-time $5,000 PEHP contribution for officers with 15-19 years of service;
• A one-time $10,000 PEHP contribution for officers with 20 or more years of service; 
• Contributions to retiring officers’ PEHP account align with graded PEHP sick leave contribution scale, except for officers with over 30 years of service (they receive 50 percent of sick leave balance);
• And, an increased 1.5 pay rate for officers working through a holiday shift.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.