U.S. Air Force veteran Dorfman hangs up his Sedona police badge
Sedona Police Department Sgt. Nathan “Nate” Dorfman, 42, went out of service for the last time with the department at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“Sgt. Dorfman started his career at SPD on March 13, 2014,” dispatch radioed. “His commitment to public service began long before he wore the badge. When he graduated from the department’s inaugural [explorer] program in 2003, while still at high school, he went on to proudly serve six years in the United States Air Force, including four combat deployments to Iraq,” from 2003 to 2009, earning the rank of staff sergeant.
Among his roles with the department, Dorfman served as a patrol officer, a narcotics detective with the Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking multi-agency task force, field training officer, lead defensive tactics and active shooter instructor, and Verde Valley SWAT team member. Though he said the most challenging was transitioning to a patrol sergeant.
“Patrol sergeant — it’s a different mindset, when you realize that at 2 o’clock in the morning, you are the highest — you’re the highest ranking city official, and you have to make decisions and ‘what would the mayor do? What would the chief do in this situation?’” Dorfman said.
Dorfman stepped into that role during major police incidents and when weather became challenging.
“When we had major snowstorms, and you have to make a decision: Do I need to close Cooks Hill? That’s a major decision to make because you’re cutting the town in half,” he said.
Dorfman said the most challenging period was working law enforcement during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just having to wear goggles when it all first started, and it fogs up, and you’re going into people’s houses, and you can’t see anything,” he said. “Then at some point, you just realize ‘I can’t really effectively do this,’ you protect yourself as best as possible, but there’s a chance I’m going to get sick and I’m going to have to deal with this.”
Dorfman said the most rewarding role was working narcotics.
“That peeled back a layer that I didn’t necessarily see that was in Sedona,” he said. “I would interview people, and I had asked them ‘why do you do this in Sedona,’ like ‘why not Cottonwood’ where it’s more profitable or easier to hide?’ And they said, ‘no, it’s easier to hide in Sedona, like, you guys aren’t looking for it because you’re focused on traffic or this or that.’ He’s like, ‘why would I go anywhere else?’ That really lit a fire for me.”
Dorfman was involved in the Sept. 25, 2019, arrest of Timothy Larson, who had spray painted the word “Evil” outside the Chapel of the Holy Cross before entering with a crowbar and smashing displays inside the chapel while making disparaging remarks towards the Catholic Church.
“We had to quickly find him,” Dorfman said of the two-hour manhunt around 4 p.m. “We caught him, and then through the interview, we were able to link him … to a home invasion in Peoria, because he felt like he was the son of God and powerful,” Dorfman said. “I don’t know what would have happened had he not been caught.”
Dorfman grew up in Sedona and was with the Cottonwood Police Department from 2010 to 2012 before getting his EMT and becoming certified as a firefighter.
“I just realized I missed law enforcement, and I always wanted to be in Sedona,” Dorfman said. “When they called and said, ‘Hey, if you want to come out here, there’s a position open,’ and I jumped on it.”
“One of the last things I did as a cop, I met with a young officer from another agency who was a Sedona Explorer and served in the military,” Dorfman said. “It was like sitting across from myself 20 years later. It was such a cool moment to end my career on — seeing another kid walk the same path. I feel like the city is going to be in good hands.”
A father, Dorfman said that he anticipates residents will still see him around town.
“I feel like I graduated high school and I’m ‘undeclared’ in life right now,” he said. “So that’s what I want to do. I want to take some time and see what’s out there, and support my kids and support my wife right now, and kind of give them. They’ve sacrificed and had to support me through the years. That it’s time for me to do it for them.”
After hanging up badge 743, Dorfman addressed the toll the job takes on police officers still on the beat. Law enforcement officers are 54% more likely to die of suicide than the general population, according to a 2021 study in Policing: An International Journal.
“Take care of yourself mentally and physically,” he said. “They made an agreement and a deal with the public to stand in the fray, and in doing so, it’s going to expose them to mental and physical challenges. Be there for one another, and understand that more officers, sadly, take their own lives than are killed in the line of duty, and that’s something that we, as a profession, we need to get better at. For the people that are higher up and able to make real change, your motto should always be: ‘How do I do better?’ and challenge themselves.”
Among the main changes in the newly approved SPD Strategic Plan is the development of a Sergeant Field Training Officer Program that consultants stated the absence of has contributed to officer turnover.
Although originally identified as a second-year initiative, SPD determined that development of its supervisors was a higher organizational priority and accelerated the timeline, the Oct. 13 Sedona City Council packet reads. “The program is anticipated to be finalized and implemented by the end of 2026. All current sergeants, as well as future sergeants joining or promoting within the department, will be required to complete the program.”
“Nate, while there may be other ‘Nates’ who come through the doors of Sedona Police Department, you will always be the original Nate and forever our No. 1 Nate,” dispatch radioed at the end of his walk out ceremony. “On behalf of the entire Sedona Police Department, we thank you for your years of selfless service, sacrifices you have made, and the lasting impact you have left on this department and the community you serve. We wish you nothing but happiness, success, and fulfillment in the next chapter of your life. Dispatch clear at 15:04.”
