Phoenix Police Chief Outlines Progress on Council Initiated Improvements

​Under the leadership of the Phoenix City Council, the Phoenix Police Department has begun making significant improvements to policy, training and procedure. On Wednesday, December 10, 2024, Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan and Executive Assistant Chief Dennis Orender presented Council with an update on the improvements made thus far, the initiatives in progress, and plans for future enhancements to public safety.

"The Council and I appreciate Chief Sullivan's work to help bring about important changes to our police department and to continue fostering additional accountability, transparency and public trust with our community. Today's update shows we are making real progress on the recommendations the Council and I passed in September, and I look forward to seeing more of our initiatives move forward in the coming months," Mayor Kate Gallego said.

The community will play a significant role in developing the plans for these improvements, with all major policy changes undergoing a period of public comment before finalization. The most recent example of this practice included sending out a draft of the new First Amendment Facilitation and Management Policy in late October. The Police Department received 72 comments from the public over a 30-day timeframe, and City staff are analyzing those suggestions before implementing the policy. The final draft of this policy is set to be completed by March, 2025.

" We are committed to enhancing the service we provide to this community, and I hope this presentation shows we are serious about the work," Interim Chief Sullivan said in City Council Chambers.

Completed Initiatives

The first part of the presentation focused on direction from Mayor Kate Gallego and City Council that have been completed in the less than three-months since being approved. These projects include:

• Implementation of a policy requiring all public-facing officers, including those in the Special Assignments Unit (SAU) to be outfitted with and use body-worn cameras.
• A new draft First Amendment Facilitation and Management Policy.
• Convert temporary positions in the Office of H​omeless Solutions (OHS) to permanent roles.
• Create four additional civilian positions to make up a compliance analyst team.

In-Progress Improvements

Phoenix City Council was presented with updates on many of the initiatives they approved that are currently in progress. Interim Chief Sullivan and Executive Assistant Chief Orender provided estimates and goals for when these projects will be finalized. The timeline for each in-progress enhancement can be found in the presentation itself, on the City's DOJ website.

• Technology: Explore and begin implementing a new technology which helps those calling 9-1-1 get the help they need more quickly. A new voice activated intelligence system has been approved that will answer roughly 30% of non-emergency calls and free up 9-1-1 call takers to answer emergency calls faster.
  
• Professional Standards Bureau: The department is focused on several improvements to PSB. Work is underway on updating requirements to provide clear standards on the thoroughness of investigations, improve training for PSB staff, ensure use of force investigations explore whether an officer considered de-escalation strategies and tactics, review all aspects of an incident not just those in the scope of the initial complaint, and provide a written response to any citizen complaint explaining the findings. The Department is also developing a process where if the Chief imposes any employee discipline that is less than what is recommended by the Disciplinary Review Board, it will first have to be approved by the City Manager.
• Oversight: Efforts are underway right now to revise the Memorandum of Understanding between Police and the Office of​ Accountability and Transparency. The Department is also implementing systems to provide written updates every three months to both the City Council and the Civilian Review Board on public safety reforms.
• Interaction with the Community: The Phoenix Police Department has several enhancements underway to improve interactions with various segments of the community. This includes a compliance framework for all vehicle and pedestrian stops, creating a clear policy on interactions with youth, developing cultural competency training, and making it easier to report complaints of police misconduct with a new hotline.
• Vulnerable Populations: In 2025, the Phoenix Fire Department's Community Assistance Program (CAP) will have 24/7 coverage to assist those needing mental or behavioral health support when calling 911. The Police Department will also adopt policies on unattended property to align with those adopted by the Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS).

Upcoming Improvements

Executive Assistant Chief Dennis Orender presented a plan and timelines for improvement initiatives that will be upcoming. The timeline for each of the below in-progress enhancements can be found in the presentation itself, on the City's DOJ w​ebsite.

Oversight

• Update City Council and Civilian Review Board every six months on PD's compliance with OAT recommendations.
  
• The newly created compliance team will regularly audit a sample of police reports to ensure officers are correctly applying the Fourth Amendment.

Accountability

• Police will provide a thorough and complete analysis and rationale for investigative findings and conclusions.
• Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) will set and publish clear deadlines for completing investigative reports.
• The Police Department will adopt clear standards and accountability measures for PSB investigators, supervisors and Commanders to ensure that all potential law and policy violations are full investigated.
• PSB will collect and record data for all citizen complaints, including the nature of the complaint and precinct and officer(s) involved.

Resource Deployment

• Adopt policies to allow the Crisis Intervention team to prioritize urgent/time-sensitive matters.
• Explore additional services to be provided by civilian staff, rather than sworn Police Department employees.
• Train officers on best use of crisis intervention resources as well as services provided by Cap and OHS.
  

Training

• Develop biennial training plan for Crisis Intervention Officers.
• Enhance customer service training for all personnel that interacts with the public.

Vulnerable Persons

• Continue to explore and expand youth prevention programming.
• Create policies in relation to interactions, use of force, consensual contacts, and interviews and interrogations with vulnerable persons.

Future Community Feedback

It is now standard practice for the Phoenix Police Department to open up a public input portal for all major policy revisions. The Following policies that the City of Phoenix is planning to send out for community input in the near future as follows.

• Data Collection Policy following stop, searches, and arrests.
• Canine Policy
• City of Phoenix Permitting process
• Youth Interactions Policy
• Unattended Property Policy
• Seized and Impounded Property Policy
• Systems of Accountability Policies

Watch the Presentation

To watch the entire presentation to Phoenix City Council from December 10, 2024, visit the link below.

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