Attachment A - 11.9.22 PSJ Mins Final Draft.pdf

Phoenix City Council 
Public Safety and Justice (PSJ) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Ariz. 
Subcommittee Members Present     
 Subcommittee Members Absent    
Councilwoman Ann O’Brien, Chair 
Councilman Jim Waring 
Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari* 
Councilmember Carlos Garcia  
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman O’Brien called the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee to order at 9:33 
a.m. with Councilman Jim Waring, Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, and
Councilmember Carlos Garcia present.
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee Meeting
Councilman Waring made a motion to approve the minutes of the Oct. 12, 2022 Public
Safety and Justice Subcommittee meeting. Chairwoman O’Brien seconded the motion
which passed unanimously, 4-0.
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 2-3) 
2. Phoenix Police Department Hiring, Recruitment, and Attrition Monthly Report
This item was heard out of order. 
Assistant Chief Bryan Chapman presented on current staff levels, attrition and hiring, 
recruit tracking, and testing with an academic waiver program to expand the hiring pool. 
He said total staffing was 2,590 sworn filled positions, with 75 police recruits in the 
academy and 953 officers working in patrol as of Nov. 8. 
Councilman Waring and Chairwoman O’Brien expressed appreciation for quantified 
information on the staffing history and the strategies used to improve after 2020.  
3. Super Bowl LVII Update
Attachment A

Chairwoman O’Brien introduced Phoenix Convention Center Director John Chan, Police 
Commander Brian Lee, and Deputy Police Chief Justin Alexander to present on the 
item. 
Mr. Chan explained the Super Bowl game would be played in Glendale but fan-related 
events in Phoenix would occur as part of a busy time for the region. He said the Super 
Bowl was hosted four times in Arizona and generated an economic impact of $720 
million in 2015. Mr. Chan spoke about the planning efforts of the internal steering 
committee. 
Commander Lee gave an overview of the public safety planning structure and meeting 
schedule of the multi-agency coordination group. Commander Lee discussed two-way 
communication between the primary lead Federal Bureau of Intelligence to agencies at 
all levels of government, specifically the flow of information on tips and leads in the “see 
something, say something” and the human trafficking call response process. 
Chief Alexander discussed the resources and collaborations for the various NFL and 
Super Bowl events, how response systems would mitigate mass casualties, 
countermeasures for chemical attacks, and exercises for preparedness to test 
capabilities and build strategic partnerships. 
Chairwoman O’Brien thanked staff for the presentation and their efforts to make it an 
extraordinary experience. 
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION (ITEM 4) 
4. Phoenix Fire Department Challenges and Mitigation Strategies  
This item was heard out of order. 
Fire Chief Mike Duran introduced Executive Assistant Fire Chief Scott Walker to present 
the item. 
Chief Walker discussed significant staffing needs, response times, and five-year 
strategies, including a prioritization plan that could be scaled based on available 
funding. 
Councilman Waring asked for a cost estimate and ranking of short-term solutions that 
could have the most positive impact the greatest number of people. 
Chief Walker responded the prioritization plan incorporates the department’s needs, 
demonstrated the cost of resources, and measured the direct impact. 
Councilman Waring stated his preference for staff to examine actions that could free up 
budgetary or other resources.

Assistant City Manager Lori Bays added that there were innovative solutions to alleviate 
pressure on sworn positions, while planning to expand stations and staff in the future. 
Chief Walker shared several examples of effective and efficient use of the resources 
provided for short-term strategies, including the implementation of increased training 
capacity, ladder company conversion with life support capability, dispatch nature code 
review to determine the best responses to the call, and telehealth to connect the caller 
to care instead of sending Fire units. 
Councilman Waring asked about feedback from frontline firefighters to guide decisions. 
Chief Walker replied changes were made collaboratively with labor management 
members. 
Chief Duran stated communication was priority with the 1,700 sworn members and 
more than 350 civilian staff. 
Chief Walker spoke about real time trend analysis and long-term strategies with a five-
to-20-year time frame, including the Fire Station Needs Forecast. 
Councilman Waring asked how staff would identify right-sized land to purchase or select 
city-owned properties for new fire stations. 
Chief Walker responded staff examined a list of available real estate, including right of 
first refusal with unused land from the Neighborhood Services Department and vacant 
land at 39th Avenue and Cactus Road for stations proposed in the General Obligation 
(GO) Bond Program. He said staff also pursued purchasing land with existing buildings. 
Councilman Waring asked how to adjust for the cost of comparably sized land in 
different districts. 
Chief Walker replied the cost variance was factored into the projection per station and 
the Community and Economic Development Department assisted with state land 
availability. 
Councilman Waring asked how land was allocated to developers for building amenities. 
Chief Walker answered early conversations about City growth before designs were 
made allowed staff to identify where a fire station should be and explore set-asides with 
possible impact fees from the developers. 
Councilman Waring expressed his desire to be included in conversations about large 
land purchases. 
Chairwoman O’Brien indicated all councilmembers would appreciate being included.

Chief Walker replied councilmembers would be informed in monthly briefings on 
properties of interest, adding there may be four to six fire stations built through future 
GO bond programs.  
Councilman Waring asked how staff estimated the cost of fire stations to ensure voter-
approved stations were built. 
Chief Walker noted there was real-time cost data was able to be used since Station 62 
was in process, in addition to building in a cost escalation for the future stations in the 
bond proposal. 
Councilman Waring acknowledged the challenge of developing cost estimates in 
unpredictable times. 
Chief Walker stated there was necessary continuous improvement to deliver standard 
service in the changing environment and showed a map and timeline of future 
department planned growth. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if the stations in the future bond timeline would be new fire 
stations. 
Chief Walker clarified some fire stations were larger replacements of existing stations 
and the old buildings could be used for the Community Assistance Program. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked what response times would be while following the 20-year 
timeline. 
Chief Walker replied he could not definitively determine the impact to response times. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked for the current average response time. 
Chief Walker responded it took under nine minutes for the first unit to arrive on the 
scene. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked how longer response times impacted city constituents. 
Chief Walker replied time was critical for staff to have greatest impact on the outcome of 
fire and medical calls, as fires burn faster, and patient recovery diminishes in minutes. 
Councilman Waring asked how many firefighters could be added before needing a new 
fire station. 
Chief Walker answered new full-time employees could be utilized in the right locations 
or possibly even in a temporary location if necessary. 
Councilman Waring asked if the 20-year plan accounted for future needs as well.

Chief Duran emphasized sustainability in the prioritization plan for support and 
resources over time. 
Councilman Waring asked if $342 million would address needs far beyond the timeline. 
Chief Duran replied the amount would set the department up for success into the future. 
Councilman Waring asked how often alternative solutions were utilized to help with the 
current challenges. 
Chief Walker responded there were creative nontraditional approaches to add units for 
direct service. He said new stations would be built large enough to hold additional staff 
and emergency vehicles to meet the demands for service years into the future. 
Councilman Waring asked if the other local cities partner to share costs and decrease 
response times. 
Chief Walker replied the closest and most appropriate unit crosses jurisdictional 
boundaries and provided an example of how stations were located to not duplicate 
service in the region. 
Councilman Waring asked which cities in the valley or of comparable size in the nation 
were meeting the national 5-minute response time standard. 
Chief Walker replied he was not aware of any large metropolitan cities that met the 
standard 90 percent of the time. 
Councilman Waring noted seeing a comparison of other local cities and sharing 
resources to have similar response times would be valuable. 
Councilwoman Ansari asked when the four stations proposed in the 2023 GO Bond 
Program would open and how they would impact response times. 
Chief Walker explained if the voters approve in 2023, the stations would realistically 
open in the latter half of 2026 and in the meantime the positions may be filled and 
trained to quickly move into the fire stations. He also shared there were challenges of 
determining the direct impact the fire stations would have on response times. 
Councilmember Garcia asked the likelihood of the response times increasing over the 
next three years based on growth and call volume. 
Chief Walker replied the trend of call volume was monitored and indicated a possible 
plateau at the current level. 
Councilmember Garcia asked why the yearlong station design process was necessary 
and if it could be reduced.

Chief Walker replied each station was designed uniquely to the property surroundings, 
but with the stations in the GO Bond Program some steps were already in motion for a 
faster timeline. 
Councilmember Garcia expressed interest in training staff before the stations open and 
asked if there was space for additional fire trucks in the existing stations if there was 
money for a new truck immediately. 
Chief Walker reiterated creative options included in the prioritization plan to put a new 
unit in service in temporary structures in high call volume areas with older stations and 
limited space. He said staff would request hiring sooner to assist with challenges and 
response times until a station opens. 
Councilmember Garcia said the 20-year plan seemed dependent on the GO Bond 
Program continuing with an unknown future. He asked if a larger appropriation in this 
upcoming bond package would add more stations sooner or could help with other 
temporary solutions. 
Chief Walker replied it would be challenging to build more stations because of logistic 
alignment, but there were plans to use funding when it becomes available. He 
presented examples of past innovative solutions for efficient service delivery for the 
community. 
*Councilwoman Ansari left the meeting at 10:31 a.m. 
Chief Walker discussed the appropriate all hazards deployment model and the efficient 
utilization of existing and supplemental resources for the standard of care. He 
summarized the current actions of the department. Chief Walker requested funding for 
58 additional positions in 2023-2024 to increase the Fire Department by a total of 109 
positions over two fiscal years. 
Councilman Waring asked about the cost of the requested 58 positions. 
Chief Walker replied he did not have the breakdown of the cost. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked about the sufficiency for of the four projected fire station 
locations in the northern part of the city, as displayed previously on the map. 
Chief Walker replied the map was continuously updated and anticipated needing more 
stations than currently shown on the map, including in Council District 1 and 2.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if the map was a living document based on growth. 
Chief Walker replied that was correct, the document was updated in collaboration with 
other departments as the City grew. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked when the map was last updated.

Chief Walked clarified approximately six months ago and adjustments were made 
resulting from the GO Bond Program. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if the requested funding was for this fiscal year’s budget. 
Chief Walker replied all the requested positions would be in FY 2023-24. 
Ms. Bays noted the positions would be expedited in the middle of the current fiscal year.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked for clarification on the number of total positions requested, 
the budget impact, and when the positions would be added. 
Ms. Bays answered the subcommittee was voting on the 58 additional positions to move 
forward to the full City Council and noted the budgetary impact was approximately $8.85 
million, which would be built into the Fire Department’s FY2023-24 budget with early 
approval. 
Councilman Waring asked about the application timeline. 
Ms. Bays answered the intention was to move forward as quickly as possible. 
Chairman Waring made a motion to approve the item. Chairwoman O’Brien seconded 
the motion which passed unanimously, 3-0. 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 5-6) 
5. Prosecutor’s Office Diversion Programs 
This item was heard out of order. 
Assistant City Prosecutor Esteban Gómez introduced the Diversion Unit Administrator 
Narda Aldaco who presented the item. 
Ms. Aldaco discussed the criteria for the seven diversion programs and the defendant’s 
participation requirements. 
Councilman Waring expressed concern about the defendants possibly having a severe 
criminal history and asked how the diversion program would affect their behavior.  
Ms. Aldaco replied the programs were for defendants with misdemeanor first-offense 
charges. 
Councilman Waring asked the difference between a domestic violence misdemeanor 
and a domestic violence felony.

Mr. Gómez explained misdemeanors had three classes, all with no-to-little injury 
occurring to the victim and a felony was determined to be aggravated or a weapon was 
used. 
Councilman Waring asked for statistics on how often a defendant from the diversion 
program later commits a more severe offense. 
Ms. Aldaco replied the program participants would not be eligible for diversion if they 
previously committed another offense. 
Councilman Waring encouraged staff to compile data on how often diversion 
participants repeated uncontrollable behaviors, to determine the effectiveness of the 
diversion programs. 
City Prosecutor Bob Smith added prosecutors had access to individuals’ criminal history 
to check prior charges or multiple misdemeanors that would result in a felony charge. 
He said a hidden history for the individuals would be rare, but possible if crimes were 
committed in another state. 
Councilman Waring said knowable data tracking would be helpful because it would 
show if the program was impactful. He asked the definition of the relationship in 
domestic violence cases. 
Mr. Smith replied a romantic or dating relationship and certain familial relationships 
qualify as domestic violence. He rephrased the prior point that prosecutors also 
examine the defendant’s arrest history thoroughly before a plea agreement sends them 
to a diversion program provider. 
Councilman Waring stated staff seemed like they properly determined the cases where 
diversion could make a difference and reiterated the importance of using strict 
standards in the future. 
Ms. Aldaco showed which contracted organizations provide diversion services. She 
explained the types of diversion programs in regard to the definition and amount of 
counseling sessions or classes, with the annual successful completion rate. She said 
restitution was part of the plea agreement and tracked by the provider and Diversion 
Unit Staff. 
Chairwoman O’Brien expressed interest in the recidivism rate, so the success rate did 
not only reflect program completion, but also included not reoffending to come back 
through the system in the future. 
Councilman Waring provided an example, in the past 8 percent of people who 
completed an alcohol-related program committed a DUI in the same calendar year. 
Mr. Smith replied staff would examine the recidivism rate.

6. Day Watch Commander Pilot Update 
This item was heard out of order. 
Chairwoman O’Brien introduced Assistant Police Chief Derek Elmore who presented on 
the item. 
Chief Elmore provided the purposes of the Day Watch Commander pilot program and 
explained the redeployment of resources to improve customer service and wait times in 
busier areas across the City.  
Councilman Waring expressed concern about officers’ travel times between precincts in 
geographically large areas such as the Black Mountain Precinct. 
Chief Elmore responded the Day Watch Commander would not move units far or for 
long and precincts would not be left without resources. 
Councilman Waring expressed concern leaving areas unattended while units were sent 
farther west to higher crime areas. 
Chief Elmore replied it was true nothing was nearby Black Mountain, where responding 
to a call could take 20 to 30 minutes travel time. He stated there was consideration for 
the movement of resources quickly by the Day Watch Commander. 
Councilman Waring stated even though the movements were for a short time there may 
be time windows where unpredictable tragedies could occur, and it would take the 
officers a while to get to the Black Mountain Precinct. 
Chief Elmore said that would be a city-wide all-call situation and there would be 
remaining squad units in the area available to respond immediately. He clarified only 
one or two units were moved as part of the pilot program to address coverage issues. 
Councilman Waring asked how many units were at the precinct on a given day. 
Chief Elmore replied it changed on a day-to-day basis and depended on the shift. 
Councilman Waring asked if there were two units to send to assist other areas, given 
the geographic size of Black Mountain. 
Chief Elmore answered it was at the Watch Commanders’ discretion and they would 
select units from another precinct, to not deplete a location. 
Councilman Waring stated he understood the intent and need for more officers to 
alleviate the concern. 
Chief Elmore replied the Police Department would ideally have enough officers to keep 
the units in the same location, with this program as an interim solution.

Councilman Waring asked how many officers currently were at Black Mountain 
compared to the assigned staff total. 
Chief Elmore provided 124 as the current precinct staff total. 
Councilman Waring said the staff number seemed consistently lower as more officers 
left. 
Chief Elmore presented annual call volume to date for seven precincts. 
Councilman Waring asked if precinct boundaries covered varying population sizes, 
causing the per capita call volume to be different. 
Chief Elmore confirmed precincts were not the same size or population, and Central 
City Precinct was the equivalent to one squad area. 
Chairwoman O’Brien stated population and street layout was different in the precinct 
areas and requested staff update the table to show geographic area and population in 
relation to call volume. 
Councilman Waring stated freeway intersection congestion and the non-linear streets 
added to the travel time. 
Chief Elmore mentioned the difficulty of rush hour traffic and explained the 
responsibilities of Watch Commanders and Shift Commanders. 
Councilman Waring asked how units were selected to be moved to another area and 
inquired where was the shared boundary between Black Mountain and Cactus Park 
precincts, because units being moved had large areas to cover. 
Chief Elmore answered the boundary was at 19th Avenue and Union Hills Drive and the 
Watch Commander would contact the Shift Lieutenant to decide which nearby units 
could be moved. 
Chief Elmore provided two examples of precincts that had calls on hold, which required 
two units to move until another shift began. He said the concept would benefit the 
community until there were long term solutions. 
Chairwoman O’Brien stated the solution was good to reduce wait times, however driving 
for 30 minutes to an hour was concerning. She asked for the program start date and 
how long the pilot program would be active. 
Chief Elmore hoped a long-term solution would keep the pilot from being indefinite. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked staff to provide an update at the six-month mark for 
evaluation.

CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
None. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman O’Brien adjourned the meeting at 12:05 p.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Nina Fader 
Management Fellow