Title
Public Safety Improvements and Community Transparency Initiative Updates - Citywide
Description
On September 24, 2024, the Mayor and City Council approved a series of recommendations and actions to improve public safety. The Council-approved actions included efforts to address homelessness, enhancements to the Community Assistance Program (CAP), recommendations related to Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT), and a series of other measures aimed at improvements to the Phoenix Police Department. This report provides updates since the last presentation to the City Council on January 27, 2026. In addition, the report outlines progress on the Community Transparency Initiative, as directed by the Mayor and City Council on March 25, 2026.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
Police Department Update
The Department continues to work on advancing the initiatives approved by City Council during the September 24, 2024 City Council Policy Session. This update reflects the continued progress since the Department last provided a report in January 2026.
Strategic Plan
The Department is developing a Strategic Plan built around Continuous Improvement, Crime Reduction, Community Engagement, and Business Operations, centered on the guiding principles of L.E.A.D. with P.R.I.D.E. at its core.
L - Lead at Every Level
- These goals will focus on training and leadership development for all Department staff, ensuring professionalism, ethical conduct and procedural justice throughout the organization and community.
E - Engagement with Employees and the Community
- The goals for this principle will foster open communication and transparency to improve service delivery internally and externally, as well as build and strengthen partnerships with community members, local organizations and stakeholders.
A - Accountability at All Levels
- For this principle, the goals will focus on establishing measurable benchmarks for performance and transparency, as well as accountability mechanisms and implementing a compliance framework for all new policies and procedures.
D - Dedication to Our Mission
- This principle's goals will show the Department's dedication to protecting life and property while preventing and reducing crime, as well as seeking justice for crime victims all while performing at the highest standards of conduct and integrity.
The Plan will be a series of measurable deliverables which will be evaluated and reported annually. The Department will engage with stakeholders including community members, employees, and the Mayor and City Council to gain input on the Strategic Plan. Following community, employee, and Council feedback, the Department will return to the City Council with a finalized plan later in 2026.
City Council Action Items
On September 24, 2024, City Council approved 37 action items for the improvement of Public Safety Services to the residents of Phoenix and the Department has provided quarterly updates on its progress related to these action items. Following the Department’s last updated report on January 27, 2026, 29 of the 37 items are complete with nine of those items containing ongoing components, and eight items are still in progress. Information on the new updates since the last report can be found below. A summary of all recommendations and directives can be found in Attachment A.
- Use of Force: Changes are being made to the Less Lethal Tool policies and a public comment period was held in October to gain community feedback. The revised policies are expected to launch in May 2026.
- Youth Interactions Policy: This is a new policy for the Department and was drafted after significant engagement with City of Phoenix youth and was made available for public comment for 30 days. The focus of the policy is to recognize youth development and to communicate with youth accordingly. The target go-live date for the policy is July 2026.
- Interactions with Individuals Experiencing Homelessness Policy: This is also a new policy for the Department and was drafted in partnership with the Office of Homeless Solutions. It was also made available for public comment for 30 days. This policy emphasizes offering services and managing the property of individuals experiencing homelessness. The target go-live date for the policy is August 2026.
- Canine Policy: This is a new policy for the Department which outlines the various roles and functions canines provide in the Department. This policy is currently available for public comment through May 31, 2026.
- Training: The Training Academy’s annual in-service training series for all sworn employees includes training topics such as cultural awareness, autism and sensory awareness, and customer service. Training updates have also been made to recruit training to include cultural awareness, ethics and professionalism, and active bystandership. In addition to specific training courses, the Department has paid particular attention to developing and evolving the method of training delivery for both Basic Training and Post-Critical Incident Training.
- Youth Prevention Programming: The City is focused on developing programs designed to support youth and reduce criminal justice system involvement among youth within the community. Initiatives will focus on expanding collaborative youth outreach, strengthening out-of-school programming, enhancing youth leadership opportunities, and increasing advisory participation opportunities.
- Compliment and Complaint Hotline and Portal: Since the Department’s last updated report, the Professional Standards Bureau, in partnership with Office of Accountability and Transparency, is continuing to augment the standard operating procedures for the receipt and processing of compliments and complaints via the online Compliments and Complaints Public Portal website and hotline. The community can now report compliments and complaints online, by phone, or in person. Phone and in-person complaints can be received by the Office of Accountability and Transparency or the Professional Standards Bureau. As always, urgent complaints are addressed with immediacy. This item has an ongoing component of annual reporting to the City Council and the Civilian Review Board.
- Real-Time Customer Engagement Tool: Since the Department’s last updated report, the Versaterm CommunityConnect platform, which is a public safety engagement solution designed to enhance trust and transparency between the Department and the community continues to provide valuable feedback to the Department on its community engagement and services. CommunityConnect automatically sends updates to 9-1-1 callers, crime victims, and reporting parties using information from the Department's dispatch and records systems. It provides real-time notifications, multilingual messaging, feedback tools, and extended support for victims. This means people get timely updates, greater certainty, and enhanced transparency about their cases.
- Community Survey Technology: ZenCity Blockwise is a continuous, representative survey platform that measures residents’ perceptions of safety, fairness, respect, and voice in their interactions with local police. Using an “always-on” approach, Blockwise delivers real-time, neighborhood-level insights through digital surveys distributed via targeted ads based on U.S. Census data. The platform offers customizable feedback cycles, digital distribution with representative sampling, rich data collection, and interactive dashboards and analytics. These features provide ongoing, actionable insights into community sentiment, enable targeted interventions so resources align with public priorities, and enhance transparency and trust through data-driven engagement. The Department will utilize Blockwise to solicit input from the community for the development of the Strategic Plan.
- Crisis Intervention Resources: The Department has completed the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Incentive Pilot Program. The incentive program is intended to increase the Department’s ability to respond to CIT related calls for service and is focused on training additional officers to become CIT certified and ensuring those officers already certified are trained in recent developments in the field of crisis intervention. Analysis is currently being conducted to assess the impact of the program. Since the Department’s last updated report, the Department continues to offer the recently introduced third option during initial call intake to people calling 911 in Phoenix. 911 operators on both emergency and non-emergency lines ask callers during the call, “Do you need police, fire or behavioral health?” This addition comes after the Phoenix City Council unanimously adopted a series of measures aimed at modernizing public safety services and expanding community-focused support. The goal is to ensure the right help is sent to the right calls, reducing unnecessary police responses while providing faster, more specialized support for behavioral health-related emergencies.
Community Assistance Program Update
The Community Assistance Program (CAP) continues to see a significant increase in calls transferred from Police Communications to the Behavioral Health Dispatcher following a critical update to the 9 1 1 screening process. The revised process now prompts callers to identify whether they require police, fire, or behavioral health services. As a result, a higher percentage of calls for service are being directed to Behavioral Health Units (BHUs), allowing individuals to receive appropriate behavioral health support without the need for police or fire response. Year over year comparisons highlight this growth. From 2024 to 2025, calls transferred from Police Communications to CAP increased by 128 percent. During the same period, BHU calls for service rose by 96 percent. This trend underscores the growing community demand for behavioral health crisis response and demonstrates the effectiveness of enhanced call triage in connecting individuals with the most appropriate resources.
Office of Accountability and Transparency Update
The Mayor and City Council established the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) in 2021 to perform independent civilian oversight of the Phoenix Police Department. OAT reviews Police Department administrative investigations of incidents involving sworn personnel and provides community members a way to freely communicate complaints, commendations, and concerns about officers and the Police Department without fear of retaliation.
Phoenix City Code, Chapter 20, as amended by City Council on May 15, 2024, states OAT's role is to:
- Take community complaints or commendations.
- Establish procedures for receiving anonymous complaints.
- Conduct outreach with the community.
- Provide support services to impacted community members.
- Review Police Department administrative investigations or civilian employee complaints.
- Make recommendations to the Police Chief regarding policy, rules, and training issues.
- Conduct mediation to resolve disputes.
- Administer a youth outreach program.
- Address other issues of concern to the community.
OAT released 48 reports since 2024 detailing its review of Police Department investigations and its findings as to the completeness and thoroughness of those reviewed investigations. OAT issued recommendations for future investigations in 31 of the 48 reports, the majority of which the Department has agreed to implement. OAT is actively monitoring 165 cases.
Since the Phoenix Police Department complaint portal went live in late 2025, OAT has seen a significant increase in community member contacts. In the first quarter of 2026, OAT received 165 complaints and 192 inquiries. Quarter 1 complaints exceeded all of 2025 by 170 percent and inquiries exceeded all of 2025 by 740 percent. In just the first quarter of 2026, OAT is already at 300 percent of total contacts received in all of 2025.
OAT’s youth outreach program launched and completed a pilot semester at South Mountain High School in fall 2026. The 11-week program graduated 24 students who left educated, equipped, and empowered to apply in critical decision making and civic engagement to enact change in their personal lives and their communities. With the goal of sustainability and scalability, OAT has begun developing an intergovernmental agreement with the Phoenix Union High School District to expand to multiple schools. OAT will begin the official launch of Reform Rising at South Mountain and Maryvale High Schools in fall 2026, and continue expanding each semester.
City's Efforts to Address Homelessness
The Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) was created in 2022 and, since that time has built a diverse team with expertise through work experience and/or lived experience who directly engage with people experiencing homelessness to connect them with services and work with the community to address encampments.
Some of the major initiatives of OHS in 2026, are to implement several strategies of its recently approved strategic plan including: improving shelter outcomes, implementing prevention programs, increasing housing options for people ending their homelessness and to seek private partnerships and funding to expand this work. Another high priority for OHS is its leadership in offering a 24/7 heat relief site for the third year in partnership with Community Bridges Inc. This life-saving intervention began operations on May 1, and will operate continuously this summer until at least September 30. OHS is working with the Finance Department’s Real Estate Division to locate a permanent heat relief site because the site OHS has leased the last two years will not be available for summer 2027.
OHS will continue to work with public safety partners including the Phoenix Police Department in several ways including coordinating efforts in areas where there is known criminal activity. These coordinated efforts often include additional supporting City departments such as Neighborhood Services, Street Transportation, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation.
Finally, OHS is collaborating with the Phoenix Police Department on adapting OHS’s existing property storage program, which includes an assessment and notification process, as a framework to meet their needs while ensuring safe property storage and reunification with property.
Youth Prevention Programming
As part of the overall efforts to improve public safety, the City is focused on developing programs designed to support youth and reduce criminal justice system involvement among youth within the community. In addition to current youth focused programs provided by the City, as well as those proposed in the FY 2026-2027 budget, the City Council approved $500,000 in funding from the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program (NBWGP) fund to initiate a program to provide additional resources to youth at risk of violence, substance abuse and involvement in the criminal justice system, while providing supportive environments and interventions. Staff proposes development of a program through a partnership between the Parks and Recreation Department and the Office of Youth and Education with funding allocated through the NBWGP funding allocation approved on an annual basis.
Community Transparency Initiative Update
The Community Transparency Initiative (CTI) framework outlined below reflects the directives issued by the Mayor and City Council, as well as feedback gathered from community stakeholders through meetings, listening sessions, conversations, and the sharing of relevant information. Staff have continued active engagement with Council offices, City departments, and community members to ensure ongoing dialogue and alignment with CTI objectives. The following updates summarize progress on each directive.
CTI Directive #1: Document and preserve information on federal immigration enforcement activities within Phoenix city limits that may violate criminal statutes and/or individual civil rights with the intent to investigate crimes committed by federal agents who act outside the scope of their duties.
Update:
- To support more consistent reporting and documentation, the City is developing an online report portal managed by the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) that will also be used as a dedicated case management system for tracking federal enforcement activities in Phoenix. Community members will be able to report incidents and complaints via the portal or by calling Police (active incident) or OAT. The system will support an efficient work flow and provide seamless information sharing from community members to OAT to Police. Complaints received will be documented by OAT before being shared with the Police Department's Special Investigation Detail (SID) for review and possibly further investigation, and then with the Attorney General's Office. The portal is expected to be completed in May. Information will be shared publicly when it is available for use.
- Two additional Police Detectives and one Sergeant have been assigned to SID to investigate these reports beginning May 4, 2026.
- Prior to the completion of the portal, OAT and PD are able to accept complaints and will track those manually.
- The Law Department is finalizing the agreement that will formally establish a process for the City of Phoenix to refer qualifying matters to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for review and possible action.
CTI Directive #2: Collect data on impacts to City services as a result of federal immigration enforcement.
Update:
- The Phoenix Police and Fire departments, as well as the Office of Accountability and Transparency, have implemented internal tracking codes within their respective tracking systems and related databases to document time and resources spent responding to calls involving federal law enforcement officials. This tracking supports accurate reporting and keeps City leadership informed.
CTI Directive #3: Identify potential partnerships and volunteer opportunities to facilitate the initiative.
Update:
- As shared in CTI Directive #1 update, staff have established a partnership with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to support ongoing information sharing. Staff are also exploring opportunities to partner with the International Rescue Committee to provide focused resources for the business community.
- Additionally, staff continue to collaborate with community groups and volunteer advocates to stay engaged with what's happening in the community and identify additional ways that the City can be helpful to the community, including people and businesses affected by federal actions.
- The City continues to update the CTI webpage including the Know Your Rights page at www.phoenix.gov/knowyourrights. Additions include additional resources to assist residents with social services such as emergency relief, affordable health clinics and domestic violence resources. It also provides families with resources for children from birth to 3rd grade and legal resources for families.
CTI Directive #4: Ensure multilingual communication channels across City services and resources.
Update:
- The CTI webpage, including the Know Your Rights webpage, provides translation capabilities in more than 120 languages. Additionally, Administrative Regulation (A.R.) 5.32, Use of City Property for Civil Law Enforcement, featured on the CTI webpage, has been translated into Spanish, Pashto, Swahili, and Somali.
CTI Directive #5: Implement training for City employees who may encounter federal enforcement actions, including protocols related to administrative and judicial warrants.
Update:
- On March 27, 2026, the required CTI training was deployed to all City employees to ensure a clear understanding of their responsibilities under this initiative. This requirement applies to all full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees, as well as interns, volunteers, and contractors working under City supervision. As of April 30, 2026, 14,474 (84 percent) employees have completed the training.
- Staff is also developing a second training course for employees that provides guidance on the services provided for reporting federal law enforcement activity, tracking the use of City resources, and familiarizing staff with the specific resources available on the Know Your Rights website.
- Additionally, employees have been provided with quick reference resource cards containing standardized scripts and key contact information to support them in the event that federal enforcement actions take place at their City facility.
CTI Directive #6: Develop options for the Council to consider relating to outside organizations, staging in our parks and preserve and other city property.
Update:
- Administrative Regulation (A.R.) 5.32, Use of City Property for Civil Law Enforcement, was published and distributed to all City of Phoenix employees on March 27, 2026. This A.R. establishes standards for the use, access, and designation of City controlled property to protect public use and enjoyment of City facilities, maintain operational integrity, and ensure City resources are used in ways that best serve residents.
- Staff has compiled an inventory of City properties and is currently reviewing them to determine where appropriate signage should be installed to limit or prohibit the staging, deployment, or operational use of City property by law enforcement agencies, except when expressly authorized by the City Manager or their designee.
- Although the City received a legislative challenge under SB 1487, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office reviewed the matter and determined that no violation of Arizona state statutes occurred.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the City Manager’s Office.