Title
Downtown Operations Unit Overview
Description
This report provides the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee an overview of the Phoenix Police Department's Downtown Operations Unit.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
The Downtown Operations Unit (DOU) was originally created to address the rapidly growing downtown core of the City of Phoenix. The addition of multiple sports and entertainment venues, restaurants, businesses and permanent residences necessitated a more centralized focus on crime suppression, community policing, and special event management.
DOU is assigned to cover the "Downtown Core," which is defined as being bound by 7th Avenue to the west, 7th Street to the east, the railroad tracks north of Lincoln Street to the south and Moreland Street to the north. This footprint encompasses City of Phoenix buildings, local and county courthouses, sport and event arenas, hotels and residences, and many commercial businesses.
Unit Staffing
The Downtown Operations Unit is currently comprised of:
- Police Commander
- Three Lieutenants
- 12 Sergeants
- 50 Officers
- 20 Police Assistants
- 8 Municipal Security Guards
Downtown Shift 3 Squad
On June 1, 2025, the Downtown Operations Unit began a Crime Suppression Pilot Program during Shift 3 hours to focus specifically on the late evening activity generated by the numerous restaurants and active downtown nightlife. This pilot squad was responsible for calls for service and business and community engagement in the downtown area during the Shift 3 overnight hours to alleviate the need for response from the Central City Precinct officers when DOU personnel were not on-duty. This Pilot Program was an immediate success and the new X91 Shift 3 Squad went live on August 20, 2025. This squad operates Wednesday through Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. with one sergeant and four officers. Since implementing this new third shift squad, it has made an immediate impact in addressing calls for services while enhancing business and community engagement. The X91 Squad has produced the following results from August 1, 2025 - February 15, 2026:
- 88 Arrests
- 240 Incident Reports taken
- 54 Citations issued
- 6 Traffic accidents investigated
- 5 Firearms recovered
In 2026, the Department’s goal is to designate an additional squad to these efforts, which would give DOU 24/7 coverage downtown. DOU will continue to evaluate and make any necessary adjustments as needed.
Collaboration with Central City Precinct
In August 2025, the Central City Precinct officially assumed responsibility for the Downtown Shelter area. Prior to August, this was a function assigned to the Downtown Operations Unit, but was outside DOU’s Downtown Core area of responsibility. In the months leading up to this transition, DOU staff worked closely with Central City Precinct’s Walking Beat Squad, Neighborhood Enforcement Team (NET), Community Action Officers (CAO) and 3rd Shift patrol squads to provide training on responsibilities and expectations. including interacting with people experiencing homelessness. Previously under DOU, the Shelter area was staffed with only one-two officers due to manpower shortages and only during 1st and 2nd shifts with precinct personnel covering the area during Shift 3 hours. This transition provided a more effective and efficient use of personnel and resources from the precinct to address this area, while bringing the areas of responsibility for DOU and the Precinct into proper alignment. Central City has more resources available to work the shelter area by utilizing their Walking Beat squad, NET squad, CAO squad, 3rd shift patrol squads.
First Friday Events
Another component to this realignment included the Downtown Operations Unit taking over the planning and event management for the monthly First Friday events along Roosevelt Row. This event is located within the DOU footprint. The transitional handoff from Central City Precinct to the Downtown Operations took place in June 2025. Since then, the First Friday event has continued to see steady growth in attendance, and with that, the need for increased security to safely manage this event. DOU has continued to partner with the Community and businesses along Roosevelt Row and has made a series of adjustment each month. These adjustments included adding additional officers, but also re-designing the staffing personnel deployment model in a more efficient manner. Adjustments to the traffic and barricade plan have assisted in providing safer pedestrian passage during the event as well as expediting egress at the conclusion of the event. Working with event staff, the conclusion of the event was moved from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. to aid vendors and Police in clearing the venue more quickly and with less impact to the surrounding community. What started as a small community event drawing 15,000 attendees requiring approximately 30 officers has grown significantly with the February 6, 2026, event drawing the largest attendance to date of more than 35,000 people requiring approximately 160 police personnel to manage. DOU and the Police Department will continue monitor these events closely and make necessary adjustment as needed.
Public Safety Response Team (PSRT)
The DOU commander and Event Lieutenant were assigned to working groups that focused on updating policy and training related to PSRT and First Amendment demonstrations. They served as subject matter experts and helped guide policy to align with current national best practices and the current capabilities of Phoenix Police. The PSRT deployment model was modified to increase the mobility and flexibility of PSRT operations. This included:
- Creating smaller squads that are more agile and self-sufficient.
- Implementing a more layered and methodical approach to deploying PSRT resources.
- Modified law enforcement focus from enforcement to more of a First Amendment support function utilizing enforcement or the appearance of enforcement as a last resort.
- Implemented an introductory PSRT class to the Post Academy curriculum.
- Developed and presented PSRT training for supervisors during the annual supervisor’s retreat.
- Developed web-based video training addressing PSRT operations and expectations, First Amendment rights, First Amendment best practices for patrol officers and supervisors.
- Currently working with the academy on PSRT and First Amendment training for the 2026 annual module.
- Updated the annual PSRT recertification course whereas the classroom portion provides policy updates, deployment model updates, national trends and best practices, and current applicable case law. The scenarios are more realistic and properly align with current policy and standard operating procedures for PSRT operations.
E-Bike Project
In an effort to enhance DOU’s relationship with the downtown community, increase our visibility and patrols, DOU sought out E-bikes. Scottsdale Police and Tempe Police have had Police E-bikes for several years now and were instrumental in helping Phoenix create our E-bike program. Through donations from the Phoenix Police Foundation and other partners, including the Office of Councilwoman O'Brien, 10 E-bikes were purchased. Officers will use the bikes daily to patrol downtown and will focus on positive interactions with the community while also increasing visibility in areas such as parking garages and alleys with poor lighting. DOU is currently in the process of creating a block ownership map which will assign officers to clearly identified blocks downtown. They will be expected to develop relationships with the businesses in their area and address community concerns and crime trends that may arise.
Special Events
The Downtown Operations Unit continues to manage all security and traffic control for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury home games. During calendar year 2025, DOU was responsible for managing 434 special events and is currently on track to support more than 260 special events in 2026. These events range from local community events, conferences, First Amendment demonstrations and marches and concerts, to recent high-profile sporting events such as the Super Bowl, MLB All-Stars, NBA All-Stars, Men’s NCAA Final Four and coming soon, the Women’s NCAA Final Four tournament.
Women's NCAA Final Four Preparation
The 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be in town from April 3 - 5, 2026. This event features two national semifinal games on Friday, followed by the championship game on Sunday. Other events scheduled in downtown include Tourney Town at the Phoenix Convention Center (with interactive games, giveaways, photo opportunities, basketball contests, food and licensed merchandise), Super Saturday Concert at Hance Park, and the Women's Final Four Bounce.
DOU has been participating as a member of the planning committee, along with other City of Phoenix departments, the NCAA, and the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee as essential partners. They are also working with the Homeland Defense Bureau to create staffing plans for all affected locations and positions requiring Police personnel, such as the Convention Center, Mortgage Matchup Center, team hotels and multiple traffic control positions. The goal is to develop a comprehensive staffing model that includes off-duty, on-duty, and Police Reserve Officers while remaining fiscally responsible to minimize excess spending.
Location
7th Avenue to 7th Street, Lincoln Street to Moreland Street
Council Districts: 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.