Title
Phoenix Police Department Hiring, Recruitment, and Attrition Report and 30x30 Initiative Update
Description
This item includes a report on Phoenix Police Department's hiring and recruitment efforts as well as an overview of the department's recent attrition figures. The report also provides an update on the 30x30 Initiative of the Police Department.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
This report serves as an update of the work completed by Police staff, in partnership with Human Resources staff, to hire, recruit, and retain sworn police officers. Key areas of progress include:
- Recruit applications, new hires and attrition figures
- Achieving goals of key demographic groups in alignment with community demographics
- Marketing strategy
- The 30x30 Initiative launch
Attachment A includes additional details of these areas and other efforts by the Police Department.
Police Recruit Applications and Hiring Update
The Police Department strives to find quality candidates for all position vacancies, both sworn and profession staff. Applications for Police Recruit have remained steady, as have applications for lateral police officers. This is due, in part, to the competitive hiring incentives and recent class and compensation adjustments. While 171 Police Recruits were hired in 2022, this number is projected to be 180 in 2023.
The implementation of the eSOPH hiring platform and other operational improvements have streamlined the hiring process. eSOPH allows for a paperless background process and enhanced screening capabilities. Additionally, hiring requirements for the City of Phoenix and Arizona POST are provided upfront to provide greater transparency for applicants and the community.
Attrition
Legislative changes created the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP). DROP is a voluntary benefit program that allows members to extend their service. This December alone, staff was projected to lose 13 sworn personnel due to the completion of their DROP. Six of these employees have taken advantage of this program and decided to continue serving. By the end of 2023, there will be 130 known separations. The department is currently projecting to lose approximately 151 sworn personnel including the known separations and an estimated number for other separations. This is compared to 286 in 2022 and 270 in 2021.
Representation Goals and Demographics
The Police Department has established several goals in recruiting sworn officers from within the community to become representative of the community the department serves. While the Police Department still needs improvement to align the demographics of overall staff, the department has made significant progress in the diversity of applicants.
In comparison to the most recent numbers released by the Maricopa Association of Government (MAG), which is considered the department’s geographic pool for applicants, the diversity of applicants exceeds that of the community we serve while the percentage of hires lags behind community demographics.
MAG Report, American Community Survey
White: 54.3 percent
Hispanic: 31.2 percent
Black: 5.3 percent
Asian: 4 percent
Other: 5.1 percent
Police Recruit Applicants, FY 2023-24
White: 40 percent
Hispanic: 35 percent
Black: 19 percent
Asian: 3 percent
Other: 3 percent
Police Hires, 2023 YTD
White: 60 percent
Hispanic: 24 percent
Black: 13 percent
Asian: 2 percent
Other: 2 percent
Marketing Strategy
On June 14, 2023, the Phoenix City Council approved a contract with ON Advertising, Inc. ("ON") to provide Police Employment Marketing Services. ON is in the design phase for the marketing products. As a result of feedback from the community on prior marketing campaigns, staff plans to work with the Police Department’s advisory boards to advise on this campaign. This will assist in the previously stated goal of recruiting from within our own community.
Additionally, immediate priorities in marketing include updating the joinphxpd.com website, creating effective content, purchasing updated recruiting materials, and facilitating signage throughout the Valley, including on department vehicles. A significant number of applicants noted patrol vehicles as the driver of them applying. Staff will update the signage of these vehicles with a QR code and the updated website. In the meantime, staff has contracted with Grand Canyon University to advertise the joinphxpd.com website throughout campus and during athletic events. This even includes sponsorship of a women’s basketball game.The Police Department’s recruiting team has constant social media engagement and is developing a podcast to answer questions and provide a more accessible introduction to the profession. Police recruitment staff have reengaged with OneTen, an organization focused on closing the opportunity gap for talented black individuals. Staff are also participating in collegiate engagements, including with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and attending multicultural events, including during Hispanic Heritage Month.
30x30 Initiative Update
The 30x30 Initiative's goal is to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30 percent by 2030 and to support the success of qualified women officers throughout their careers. Working groups composed of female officers from a variety of demographics, years of service ranges, ranks, and current assignments will be critical to push the initiative forward. While the goal of the initiative is focused on recruitment, hiring and promotion, the Phoenix Police Department added retention and training work groups since they are closely related.
Supervisors were asked to nominate women who would positively contribute to the discussions and provide workable solutions. Over seventy-five women throughout the Police Department were nominated to participate and, of the nominees, nearly sixty have signed up to participate. The group met as a whole on August 22, 2023. Interim Chief Michael Sullivan and Assistant City Manager Lori Bays emphasized the importance of the work groups and finding solutions to support the initiative. Group leaders for recruitment, retention, promotion, and training are currently holding the initial meetings with their teams.
The initiative has already spurred discussions in several areas and staff is confident the goals of the 30x30 initiative will be achieved through actionable results. The work groups will reconvene and provide a list of action items by the end of 2023.
Next Steps
The Police Department continues to identify innovative recruiting, hiring, and retention strategies to assist with growing staffing needs. Work groups for the 30x30 Initiative will continue to meet, ON Advertising will update our website and marketing products, and staff will monitor and assess improvements in the hiring system.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.