Brian Armstrong and Stan Durkalec notice when things around the city are out of place. Whether it’s residents reporting complaints about the luminosity of the paint on a Sedona home, an unsightly property, the improper use of business signage, vacation rental complaints, improper waste disposal, illegal land uses or a residential remodel without a permit, they are on hand to cite property owners for code violations.

As the city of Sedona’s code enforcement officers, Armstrong and Durkalec say they don’t actively drive around town hunting for what may be wrong, but rather are kept busy responding to complaints they receive via phone or email.

According to Armstrong, their office receives the most calls regarding short-term rentals, followed by parking-related and unapproved lighting complaints. Because of all the rain so far this year, weeds have been a major issue.

With fire season beginning in late May, both Armstrong and Durkalec are on the lookout for potential hazards. Durkalec says that each day is different for the duo, depending on the barrage of calls they received the night before.

“We try to respond on the same day of the complaint so that we can at least get the initial look and see if it is a violation or someone just calling in and thinking it’s a violation,” Armstrong said. “We do the first site inspection and if there is a violation we noticed or a potential one, we will come back with a letter saying, ‘Hey, this is what we observed, please get in touch with us so that we can work on a solution.’ And then that gives them a few days to contact us.” He added that they give potential violators 30 days to fix a problem. During that time, he and Durkalec will occasionally drive by and check on their progress.

In addition, they will give references for landscapers or contractors and help individuals through the process required to comply with city ordinances.

“There are situations where communication is broken down, or they’re not doing something. So, we’re going to write them a citation and the last resort is to take them to court. But the vast majority — 80% or more — of properties will come into voluntary compliance,” Armstrong said.

Brian Armstrong

Much of the work they do is a little like detective work, which is right up Armstrong’s alley, as he spent the majority of his career in the police force. Born in Connecticut, Armstrong grew tired of the cold winters there, and since his grandparents and other relatives lived in the Grand Canyon State, in 1983 he attended Arizona State University.

“I don’t know if it was the first time [I visited Arizona], but my first real memory of coming to Phoenix to visit was the day Neil Armstrong [no relation] walked on the moon,” on July 20, 1969, Armstrong said. “I remember landing at the airport and my uncle was like, ‘we must hurry home so that we could see it on TV.’ So, we’ve been coming to Arizona since the ’60s.”

Armstrong graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in justice studies and went into police work with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. He attended the Phoenix Regional Police Academy in 1987. During more than 32 years in the field, Armstrong worked for the Gilbert Police Department, the Prescott Police Department, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Enforcement Compliance Division and the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office. He was a patrol officer and a detective and swam underwater rescues with the search and recovery team as well as training and public safety law enforcement. He retired from the CVMO as a commander in January 2020.

“In a job interview, people always ask, ‘Why do you want to be a police officer?’” Armstrong said. “Because I want to help people. You know, you hear that line every time. But that really turns out in the long run, that’s what brings you the most satisfaction. I really did like the idea that I helped somebody through a bad time … just to know that you’re helping somebody through a bad situation as best you can to make it better.”

Armstrong recalled that he also dealt with kids who were victims. “It was very satisfying to sit and talk with kids and make them feel comfortable,” Armstrong said. “What happened was not normal and I wanted them to know that. I really did like helping people. [Eventually] I wanted to get away from it. I ended up in code enforcement because it is nice to try to get people to end on a positive note.”

Armstrong said that he wouldn’t change much if he had to do it all over again. He described his husband, Raymond, as his biggest supporter; they celebrated their 18th anniversary a few weeks ago. Armstrong also drives a forest green 2008 Mustang, just like the one Steve McQueen drove in the film “Bullitt.”

“I’m in the Mustang Club of America and I was detailing it because I want to enter it into the car show. So, it has to be super clean for that … the car is taken better care of than my husband,” Armstrong quipped. “I’m going to get in a lot of trouble for that. But I like to take care of my cars.”

Stan Durkalec

Durkalec grew up in Arizona, living in Phoenix, Flagstaff and then Cottonwood. He graduated from Mingus Union High School, where he was on the football and track teams, before attending Northern Arizona University to study secondary education. During college, he met his wife, Carol, now the executive director of Northern Arizona Hospice. They have been married for 21 years. They have two boys, 18-year-old Brasen and 14-year-old Stone, both of whom attend MUHS, following in their father’s footsteps. Brasen will be attending California State University Fullerton in the fall on a track scholarship. Stone plays basketball and golf.

While at NAU, Durkalec worked for a pest control company, which led to him abandoning his plans for a career in secondary education. He ended up owning his own company, Stan’s Pest Control, in Cottonwood from 1996 to 2019.

“Basically, I did pest control for 20-something years and then burned out in my 40s. I could never live in peace,” Durkalec said. “My phone was always ringing. I always had fires to put out, and so, after 20 years, I was like, ‘I’m done working 24/7.’” “I think doing 20-plus years of my own thing was customer-service related.

I try to bring that same thing with [this job],” Durkalec noted. “We’re not here to cause problems. We’re just trying to solve the problem. The city itself is big on customer service and customer relations, and we’re in the public eye, as long as we’re clocked in.”

Durkalec said that while the people they cite may be angry after being informed of a violation, he tries to remain in control of the situation and find a happy medium.

“I’ve learned how to be patient from Stan,” Armstrong said. Durkalec has also noticed that working as a code enforcer has made him more aware of Sedona’s building codes in his daily life, wondering if homes near his neighborhood are painted the correct color, or even if remodels are up to code.

In the meantime, he and his family spend a lot of time together, centered around their sons’ sporting events.

“It’s going to be weird because we’ve been so crazy busy since they were little kids,” Durkalec said. “We’re like, ‘What are we going to do with ourselves?’” When asked if they are rule breakers or rule followers, their answers were obvious. “I’m pretty much a goody-two-shoes. I’m a rule follower for the most part, except maybe when I’m driving my Mustang,” Armstrong laughed.

“I’m more of a rule follower than a rule breaker or a rebel. I know that’s not super exciting,” Durkalec said. “My focus is so different right now. Maybe when the kids are gone, I’ll change my ways.”