Title
Phoenix Police Department Recruitment, Hiring, and Attrition Update - Citywide
Description
This item provides an update on the Phoenix Police Department’s recruitment, hiring, and attrition efforts through mid-year 2026. Building on the process improvements launched in late 2024 and expanded throughout 2025, the Department continues to see strong momentum in applicant engagement, hiring outcomes, and targeted efforts to stabilize and diversify the sworn pipeline. These improvements, combined with new initiatives introduced in early 2026, are producing measurable results that show continued progress toward long-term staffing sustainability.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Applications and Recruitment Activity
Recruitment efforts remain strong, with year-to-date applications reflecting a 9.6 percent increase over 2025. Monthly application totals in 2026 have consistently exceeded or met prior-year performance, demonstrating continued interest in sworn positions. Enhanced community-oriented efforts, revised messaging, and expanded applicant outreach are contributing to this increased engagement.
To strengthen applicant connections and streamline early-stage progression, the Department launched Information Sessions in June 2026. These sessions provide candidates with direct interaction with staff, guidance on the hiring process, and on-site document certification services. Early results are significant: across five sessions, 173 prospective candidates attended and 55 submitted background packets, representing a 35 percent progression rate and contributing to an 11.4 percent increase in background packet submissions since implementation.
The Department also initiated the ‘One City. One Team.’ recruitment campaign in mid-2026, aimed at strengthening employee referrals and increasing visibility of sworn career opportunities. Referral cards, posters, and squad-level briefings have been deployed throughout the organization, with early feedback indicating high support and interest from employees. These efforts have reinforced the effectiveness of employee-driven candidate sourcing, which remains one of the Department’s top hiring channels.
Hiring and Academy Classes
Hiring activity remains strong. Through July 2026, the Department has hired 123 sworn employees, with 40 recruits scheduled for the August class and additional recruit classes scheduled for October and December. The Department continues to maintain steady class sizes; however, hiring to date has only kept pace with attrition. Future efforts will focus on identifying ways to surpass attrition through increased hiring.
Candidate Support and Process Improvements
The Department is refining its internal hiring processes to improve applicant experience and operational efficiency. Building on the 2025 introduction of modern communications tools, such as text-based recruiter messaging, the Department advanced several Lean Six Sigma Black Belt-supported initiatives in 2026. These improvements target workflow standardization, reduction of manual processing delays, expanded notary access, increased applicant touchpoints, and enhanced coordination across hiring phases. Collectively, these steps are designed to reduce stalled applications and improve throughput from initial interest to academy enrollment.
Attrition and DROP Participation
The Department continues to monitor sworn attrition closely. Attrition patterns in 2026 remain consistent with prior years, with monthly separations aligning with expected seasonal and retirement-driven trends. Understanding and projecting Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) activity remains an essential component of sworn staffing forecasting. Average separation timelines for DROP participants between 2015 and 2026 show employees who exit before the full 60-month period typically separate around 39 months, while those who maximize their extensions average 62 months. This data helps inform long-term staffing projections and supports planning for upcoming retirements.
The Department also monitors early-career retention through Field Training Officer (FTO) performance indicators. In 2026, sworn employees in the FTO phase demonstrated a 79 percent retention rate, consistent with prior years and reflective of strengthened candidate preparation and early mentorship. Continued monitoring of training-phase retention helps identify opportunities to support new recruits during the critical first months of service.
Future Partnerships
The Department is strengthening its long term applicant pipeline through expanding partnerships with Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University. These partnerships focus on applicant readiness, career exposure, and hands on learning opportunities for students considering careers in law enforcement. By building relationships earlier in the educational process, the Department is creating a more informed and prepared future applicant pool.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.