MESA, AZ — A former Mesa police sergeant indicted for allegedly tipping off the target of a SWAT raid had 9 internal affairs investigations dating back to 2013, according to records obtained by ABC15.
Edward Fire, 51, a nearly 20-year law enforcement veteran, was arrested by Chandler police in April after he allegedly warned his neighbor and "drinking buddy," Jason Rawlings, about an impending Chandler Police SWAT raid on Rawlings' Mesa apartment. Chandler police were preparing to raid the apartment to find drugs and guns.
On March 10, 2026, Fire was on duty when he allegedly texted and called Rawlings to warn him about the raid. Drone video later captured Rawlings leaving his apartment and stashing a backpack in a visitor's truck, according to court records. Police stopped the truck and recovered a Polymer80 semi-automatic handgun, 31 rounds of ammunition, nearly 30 grams of methamphetamine, and about 3 grams of cocaine. Rawlings was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms according to police.
"This is the definition in my opinion of a dirty cop," Chandler Police Chief Bryan Chapman told ABC15 in April.
Rawlings has since pleaded guilty to drug charges. Fire has been indicted for hindering prosecution in the first degree, a Class 5 felony, a charge that prosecutors say potentially put other officers' lives at stake.
"I was disgusted to learn that a nearly 20-year veteran of law enforcement, an on-duty patrol sergeant, compromised the integrity of our people and our investigation by leaking highly sensitive and classified law enforcement information to the target of that operation," Chapman said.
Mesa Police Department internal affairs documents, obtained through a public records request, show 9 internal affairs investigations into Fire dating back to 2013. He was exonerated in 2 of those cases.
In March of 2026, Fire was suspended for 120 hours for an August 2025 criminal offense that sources tell ABC15 was a DUI in a Kentucky national park. That suspension began the same week he was accused of tipping off Rawlings.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office previously told ABC15 that Fire would be added to the Rule 15 list, also known as the Brady list, as a result of the charges against him.
Records show Fire submitted his retirement memo a month after he was criminally charged. Records say Mesa Police Chief Dan Butler said that "had [Fire] remained with the department, the final recommendation would have been termination."
Fire's trial is now scheduled to begin November 19th.
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