| Phoenix Police Department | |
| Abbreviation | PHXPD |
| Patch of the Phoenix Police Department. | |
| Badge of the Phoenix Police Department. | |
| Motto | To Ensure the Safety and Security for Each Person in our Community |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1881 |
| Preceding agency | Phoenix City Marshals |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | City of Phoenix in the state of Arizona, USA |
| Map of Phoenix Police Department's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 516 sq mi (1,340 km2). |
| Population | 1.6 million[1] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Officers | 3,200 |
| Unsworn members | 700 |
| Agency executive | Joe Yahner, Public Safety Manager |
| Divisions |
8
|
| Bureaus |
25
|
| Facilities | |
| Precincts |
8
|
| Helicopters | 9 |
| Airplanes | 3 |
| Website | |
| http://phoenix.gov/POLICE/ | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Phoenix Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona.
Today, the Phoenix Police Department comprises more than 3,500 officers and 700 support personnel who protect a population of more than 1.6 million[1] and patrol almost 516 square miles (1,340 km2)[1] of the sixth largest city in the United States.
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Phoenix was incorporated as a city on February 25, 1881. Law enforcement was handled by Phoenix city marshals and later by Phoenix police officers. Henry Garfias, the first city marshal, was elected by residents in 1881 in the first elections of the newly incorporated city. For six years, he served as the primary law enforcement officer.
In the early 1900s, the Phoenix Police Department used Old Nelly, the horse, to pull the patrol wagon for officers. Most patrolling, however, was done on foot. The city at this time was only 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) with a population of 11,134 people. Call boxes were used to notify an officer that headquarters wanted him. These were supplemented by a system of horns and flashing lights.
The first Phoenix police officer killed in the line of duty in Phoenix occurred on February 5, 1925.[2] Officer Haze Burch was shot and killed by two brothers on the run from authorities. The men were later arrested when they were found hiding at the Tempe Buttes.[2]
In 1929, patrolmen worked six days a week and were paid $100 a month. The police department moved into the west section of the new city-county building at 17 South 2nd Avenue.[3] The building included jail cells on the top two floors. In 1933, Ruth Meicher joined the police department as the first female jail matron. The city at this time was only 6.4 square miles (17 km2), with a population of 48,200. In the year prior, the first police radio system in Arizona was installed for the department with the call letters KGZJ.[3]
The department reorganized in 1950 with four divisions, Traffic, Detectives, Patrol and Service Divisions.[3] Officers worked 44 hours per week for $288 per month. In 1974, the Air patrol unit was established initially consisting of one helicopter. A few months later, a fixed wing aircraft and two additional helicopters were added.[3]
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Since 1925, the Phoenix Police Department has suffered a total of 34 deaths in the line of duty.[5]
| Officer | End of Watch | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Officer Haze Burch |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Walter H. Stewart |
|
Vehicular Assault |
| Officer Dale C. Stone |
|
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Clay Quincy Haywood |
|
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Michael D. Hemschmeyer |
|
Automobile Accident |
| Officer Gilbert R. Chavez |
|
Gunfire |
| Police Guard John Franklin MacInnis |
|
Heart Attack |
| Officer Arthur Del Gaudio Jr. |
|
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Officer Ignacio Gonzales Conchos |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer John R. Davis Sr. |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Kenneth E. Campbell |
|
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Officer Errol C. Hawkins |
|
Struck by Vehicle |
| Officer Robert L. Polmanteer |
|
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Kevin W. Forsythe |
|
Struck by Vehicle |
| Officer John A. Robertson |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Robert T. Fike |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Kenneth L. Collings |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Patrick O. Briggs |
|
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Sergeant John Wayne Domblisky |
|
Vehicular Assault |
| Sergeant Danny L. Tunney |
|
Vehicular Assault |
| Officer Leonard Leon Kolodziej |
|
Gunfire |
| Sergeant David Martin Kieffer |
|
Vehicular Assault |
| Officer Marc Todd Atkinson |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Goelet Alessandro Carlo Beuf |
|
Assault |
| Officer Beryl Wayne Scott Jr. |
|
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Donald Ralph Schultz |
|
Drowned |
| Officer Eric James White |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Jason Alan Wolfe |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer David Christopher Uribe |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Paul Robert Salmon |
|
Automobile Accident |
| Officer George Valentino Cortez Jr. |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Nicki James (Nick) Erfle |
|
Gunfire |
| Officer Shane Figueroa |
|
Automobile Accident |
| Officer Travis P. Murphy |
|
Gunfire |