Title
Phoenix Police Department Reserve Division Update
Description
This report provides an update to the City Council on the current status of the Phoenix Police Department's Reserve Division.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
The Police Department's Reserve Division continues to be a valuable asset and support to the Department's mission. Currently there are 138 reserve police officers. Many of these women and men have full-time careers, and also volunteer as part-time reserve police officers with the Police Department. These reserve officers are full-authority, sworn police officers certified by Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST). Reserve officers have satisfied the same rigorous hiring and training standards as career police officers.
A significant number of reserve officers are assigned to patrol precincts, where they respond to numerous calls for service each year as independently functioning police officers. These reserve officers work seamlessly with their career counterparts, and residents are unaware that they are being served by volunteers. Other reserve officers work in specialty assignments to include detectives, solo motorcycle officers, airport officers, training officers, transit officers, school safety officers, community relations officers, homeland defense officers and other work units.
In many cases, after serving long careers, some retiring officers and investigators opt to transition to reserve officer status. This transition allows the Police Department the opportunity to retain their valuable skills and experience acquired over many years of service.
Collectively, reserve officers are highly committed and dedicated to the community they serve. Several officers have a combined service of 40 or more years. Some officers have donated, individually, more than 25,000 hours of police services. For Fiscal Year 2023-24, reserve officers donated 42,316 hours of police services with an estimated value of $5,331,600 to the City. In addition to the financial benefits, the officers in the Reserve Division have become a consistent and relied upon force to support major special events such as the WNBA All Star Game, the NCAA Final Four events, World Series playoffs and the Super Bowl. In 2023 reserve officers worked 95 separate special events. Currently, the officers are called upon to support last minute staffing needs for visits during this political election season.
The Reserve Division has its own stand-alone police academy. This academy is one of 16 AZPOST accredited training academies in the State of Arizona. Reserve recruits attend this academy every Wednesday and Thursday evening and all day Saturdays for 11 months, receiving the exact training as their career peers. On September 19, 2024, the Department graduated a reserve class with six newly certified officers.
Reserve officers have earned the support and appreciation of the Phoenix business community. The Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization was established in 2007 by civic and business leaders with the support of City leadership. The Reserve Foundation is directed by an independent Board of Directors, which works closely with police management. The mission of the Reserve Foundation is to support the recruitment, training, equipment and operational needs of reserve officers that are not satisfied by the regular City budget.
The Reserve Foundation has become a model for the creation of other charitable foundations around the country which support reserve police organizations in other jurisdictions. The Reserve Foundation continues to host events such as the “Day at the Police Academy” and “Day at the Driving Track” events attended by business, civic and community leaders who learn about the work performed by reserve police officers. These leaders are exposed to aspects of police training that both our reserve and career police officers receive during their academy training. The Foundation continues to support needs of reserve officers. This past year, the Foundation purchased two new Ford trucks to be used by our reserve detectives, created a program where they supplemented the City's funds for reserve officers' purchase of ballistic vests, provided training supplies and equipment for reserve recruit officers and a scholarship program for those who may need special assistance while attending the reserve academy.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.