Carl Seel, constable who failed to serve orders of protection, resigns his post

Maricopa County Constable Carl Seel resigned his post this month, two months after a report that he failed to serve 80 orders of protection and didn’t know the basic functions of the job.

Seel faced a complaint with the Constable Ethics, Standards and Training Board earlier this year alleging his failure to serve the orders of protection over a nine month period. He claimed it was because he wasn’t properly trained on the AZPoint system that constables use for their work. 

Maricopa County presiding constable Michael Branham filed the complaint and told the Arizona Mirror all 80 orders were eventually served when constables from across Maricopa County pitched in to help Seel, who served as constable in the Moon Valley precinct in north Phoenix.

“I remember back when I filed the export complaint, we also had developed a plan to address all those unserved orders. And, indeed, not only did Mr. Seel work on that, really our entire staff Valley-wide helped,” he said. 

AZFamily first reported on the complaint in February. Late last month, Seel sent a resignation letter to the county board of supervisors informing them his final day in elected office would be May 4. Seel said it was due to “personal family concerns,” but Branham told the Mirror he thinks the job was also too much for him. 

Seel could not be reached for comment.

“I think he made some improvements along the way, but he also realized that this type of work was extremely difficult. Probably not made for everybody,” Branham said. He added that he was told Seel is likely leaving Arizona soon to assist family. 

Before being elected constable in 2020, Seel served six years in the Arizona Legislature, where he became a frequent punching bag from the capitol community –– usually over his outlandish views like believing Barack Obama was born in Kenya or sponsoring controversial legislation. He lost in the 2014 Republican primary for state House before winning his uncontested election in 2020 as constable. 

Branham told the Arizona Mirror that Seel’s failure to serve all the orders was something he had never seen before. He said the only reason he noticed it was because he sometimes has to check the work of newer elected constables.

He said it was “troubling” that so many orders of protection had gone unserved under Seel’s watch.

“We were able to discover that this problem really was just with him. It wasn’t a Valley-wide issue,” Branham said. 

The county board of supervisors is now seeking a Republican to replace Seel. Applicants must live in the Moon Valley precinct.

Branham did caution that those interested should know what they are getting themselves into.

“This is a very complex and – at times – extremely dangerous law enforcement job. It’s not something that people can walk in the door and immediately grab a set of car keys and go do, even though there’s a narrow focus of law enforcement that goes with what we do,” he said. “It’s very, very important that the people who take on this new task, embrace all the training we can give them, all the feedback we can get them and get ready for some pretty tense and dangerous situations.”