Attachment A- PSJ Subcommittee Minutes Oct 13 2021.pdf

Phoenix City Council 
Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Ariz. 
Subcommittee Members Present   
 Subcommittee Members Absent 
Councilwoman Ann O’Brien, Chair 
Vice Mayor Carlos Garcia 
Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari 
Councilman Jim Waring 
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman O’Brien called the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee to order at 9:33 
a.m. with Vice Mayor Carlos Garcia, Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, and Councilman
Jim Waring present.
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
Laurel Langmade stated that the data Councilwoman Ansari presented at the previous 
Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee regarding veterans was biased. 
Councilwoman Ansari noted her appreciation for Ms. Langmade’s comments and 
expressed her concern with the Police department’s staffing shortage. She also stated 
she had met with the Madison Pioneers group and was working with the community on 
the issue.  
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee Meeting
Councilman Waring made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 8, 2021
Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee meeting. Councilwoman Ansari seconded the
motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.
CONSENT ACTION (ITEMS 2-3)  
Items 2-3 were for consent action. No presentations were planned, but staff was 
available to answer questions. 
2. Intergovernmental Agreement with Arizona State University for Services
Associated with Police-Related Projects
3. Donation from the Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation
Attachment A

INFORMATION ONLY (ITEMS 4)  
4. Phoenix Police Department Hiring and Recruitment Monthly Report 
Information only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 5-7) 
5. Inspection Testing and Maintenance Report System for Fire and Life Safety 
Compliance – Update 
Discussion 
Executive Assistant Chief Scott Walker provided an update regarding the Brycer 
Compliance Engine Program. He stated the Brycer Compliance Engine was a 
technological solution that tracks and reports on compliant and deficient fire prevention 
systems. Mr. Walker noted an incredible increase of reports received in 2021 and 
described how the system proactively protects residents and makes the community 
safer. 
Councilwoman Ansari congratulated staff on their accomplishments with the Brycer 
Program and thanked the Council for approving action on fire prevention. 
Chairwoman O’Brien thanked staff for their presentation. 
6. Remote Civil Traffic Hearing Pilot Program 
Discussion 
Chief Presiding Judge Don Taylor III and Judge Alisha Villa presented on the Remote 
Civil Traffic Hearing Pilot Program. Judge Villa described how the COVID-19 pandemic 
created challenges for individuals appearing in court, in person for traffic hearings. She 
spoke about the implementation of optional video hearings and discussed the virtual 
hearing process. Judge Villa noted the benefits of the program for city staff and 
community members and said most defendants rated their experience with the virtual 
platform as being satisfactory. She also discussed police officer satisfaction with the 
program.  
Councilman Waring asked staff to confirm individuals would utilize the virtual hearing 
system to protest their traffic tickets in 3,000 cases a year. 
Judge Taylor replied that was correct, but noted that the 3,000 cases were limited to 
civil traffic cases with the opportunity to expand the program to other case types in the 
future. 
Councilman Waring asked if the virtual hearing program was strictly a constituent 
benefit.

Judge Taylor stated that was correct.  
Vice Mayor Garcia described the digital divide and encouraged staff to partner with 
other City departments to set up individual rooms where individuals would be able to 
virtually attend their court hearing. He asked staff if individuals could access the virtual 
hearing using mobile devices. 
Judge Taylor replied that the virtual platform worked very well on mobile devices such 
as smart phones. He discussed partnerships with private partners that create private 
spaces for individuals to seek Orders of Protection. Judge Taylor also noted the 
opportunity to work with those partners to expand services to civil traffic cases.  
Councilwoman Ansari noted her support for this program and thanked staff for their 
presentation. 
Chairwoman O’Brien thanked staff for their presentation and looked forward to the 
expansion of the program. She asked if staff tracked virtual hearing connectivity issues.  
Judge Villa replied some individuals had connectivity issues, and the pilot program only 
had one individual who was not able to attend the virtual hearing due to connectivity 
issues. She noted that many individuals join the virtual hearing by a mobile device or 
cell phone and did not appear to have bandwidth issues.  
7. Police Department Staffing Discussion 
Discussion 
Police Chief Jeri Williams and Assistant Police Chief Michael Kurtenbach gave an 
update on the department’s staffing levels and impacts on service to the community. 
Chief Kurtenbach discussed the downward trend of filled positions since March 2020. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if the 39 police recruits in the academy had an impact on 
responding to 911 calls for service or if they assisted in investigations.  
Chief Kurtenbach replied the primary focus of police recruits was learning about their 
roles as officers, and they would not have an impact on answering 911 calls for service 
or assisting in investigations.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked how long it would take for police recruits to assist with 
police investigations or respond to 911 calls. 
Chief Kurtenbach replied that it could take from nine months to over a year for a police 
recruit to become solo capable based on field training and job knowledge.  
Councilman Waring asked if the decline in sworn officer staffing levels was due to the 
COVID-19 pandemic hindering recruitment strategies or if there were additional reasons 
for the decline, such as negative media coverage or negative comments from Council.

Chief Kurtenbach replied the Police Department was able to use the COVID-19 
pandemic as an opportunity to develop digital recruitment efforts and branch out to 
applicants in different ways. He noted his appreciation of academy staff for adapting to 
COVID-19 and teaching classes remotely.  
Councilman Waring asked if the number of recruits would increase as the City shifted 
back to traditional, in-person recruitment opportunities. 
Chief Kurtenbach replied that he was hopeful there would be an increase in applicants. 
Councilman Waring expressed concern about officers leaving before their retirement.  
Chief Kurtenbach noted some officers were leaving the profession altogether or leaving 
for other agencies. 
Councilman Waring expressed the hiring situation seemed like a crisis as officers were 
foregoing retirement incentives. 
Chief Kurtenbach provided recruitment statistics for 2021 and 2022. He discussed new 
hires and separations and noted a concerning decline in new officers hired since 2018. 
Chief Kurtenbach also spoke about the increase of emergency calls for service from 
2020 to 2021, which increased by over 10,000 calls.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if the increase in emergency calls for service was similar to 
trends for nonemergency calls for service.  
Chief Kurtenbach replied that there was an average 10.8 percent increase of both call 
types. He noted that in the past, the number of calls for service had remained stagnant 
but there was a significant increase in calls for the 2021 calendar year. Chief 
Kurtenbach also stated that the violent crime rate was up 16 percent since 2019. 
Councilman Waring stated that his district experienced a lower crime rate that was 
spread out across the district. He noted that as the staffing numbers dropped, the 
department may want to allocate police officers to areas with higher crime rates. 
Councilman Waring stated that he would not support any motion that would reallocate 
police officers from his district to areas with higher crime rates. 
Chairwoman O’Brien asked staff to confirm the Police Department received more than 
10,000 additional calls with 200 less responding officers so far in 2021. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated that was correct. 
Chief Kurtenbach described the 22 second increase of median response time for 
emergency calls for service in 2021, and cited the significant population growth and 
demand for service in the city. He noted that last year the City experienced 200 
homicides, the most since 2007, and spoke about recent homicides in the community.

Chief Kurtenbach then spoke about the investigative caseloads for each officer and the 
formulas used to determine patrol resource deployment.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked if staff believed the formula used for patrol resources was 
relevant today. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated that the matrix used for patrol resources was meant to be the 
bare minimum guidance of deployment for the Police Department.  
Chief Kurtenbach spoke about the workload map, stating that the greatest amount of 
crime was focused on the I-10 and I-17 corridors.  
Chairwoman O’Brien asked staff which districts had the highest increase of homicides 
and robberies. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated that Council Districts 4,5,7, and 8 showed the highest increase 
of homicides and robberies. 
Chief Kurtenbach spoke about the specialty-to-patrol program which included 32 
officers each week and included refresher trainings. He then described additional 
considerations, such as an identification of calls for service that may not warrant a 
police response and the re-hiring of retirees as civilian employees. 
Chief Williams reminded the Council that the newly established Community Assistance 
Program (CAP) would help with some of these calls for service in the future.  
Councilman Waring asked if veterans were almost 25 percent of the current sworn 
officer count. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated that was correct. 
Councilman Waring asked staff how much of a percentage college graduates 
represented in the current sworn officer force. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated it was near 25 percent.  
Councilman Waring asked if department background checks were too rigorous for the 
applicant pool, specifically highlighting marijuana use.  
Chief Kurtenbach replied that in March 2015 he met with background investigators to 
increase the pool of sworn police officer applicants. He noted that the Arizona Peace 
Officer Standards and Training Board’s (AZPOST) standards on marijuana remain strict.  
Councilwoman Ansari asked if staff could elaborate on the Arizona State University 
(ASU) research study regarding the Phoenix Police Department.

Chief Kurtenbach stated the ASU research was focused on the deployment efforts of 
police officers across the city. He stated that the CAP would have a positive impact on 
the growing number of emergency calls and ASU would assist in evaluating staffing 
levels and calls for service.  
Councilwoman Ansari asked if staff understood how the City compared to neighboring 
cities as it relates to police officer salary grades.  
Chief Kurtenbach stated that the City was on the lower end of the spectrum as it related 
to police officer salaries but noted the comparison does not include fringe benefits. 
City Manager Jeff Barton noted that the City analyzes the total compensation package 
for police officers, including fringe benefits, and stated other cities may not offer the 
same types of compensation. 
Councilman Waring asked how the community could participate in conversations 
regarding the reallocation of police officers to various precincts. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated the Police Department would be transparent with Council and 
the community through in person meetings and social media. 
Chief Williams stated the department would not make any changes regarding patrol 
allocations without input from the community and Council. 
Councilman Waring noted vaccine requirements may impact department recruitment 
efforts. 
Vice Mayor Garcia thanked staff for their presentation and recognized CAP as being a 
solution in assisting the Police Department with emergency calls. He spoke about some 
council districts lacking resources, which may lead to higher crime rates than other 
council districts. Vice Mayor Garcia asked staff for additional reasons why potential 
police recruits were no longer applying to become officers and asked why current 
officers could be leaving the profession. He also asked staff about the City standards for 
rehiring officers that had left the profession.  
Chief Kurtenbach replied the department conducted exit interviews with police officers 
and determined that employees may be leaving because they felt a lack of support, 
among a number of reasons. He also stated that the department would hold rehires to 
the same high standards of initial hiring for sworn and civilian roles.  
Vice Mayor Garcia asked about department strategies for hiring lateral employees from 
other law enforcement agencies. 
Chief Kurtenbach stated that the department had not seen a high caliber of potential 
recruitments from other law enforcement agencies. He stated that the department 
continued to maintain high standards for officer hiring.

Chief Williams noted that, at the state level, hiring practices for police officers had 
become more stringent. 
Vice Mayor Garcia asked staff about the average salary for police sergeants and 
lieutenants.  
Chief Kurtenbach replied there was an opportunity for higher income and better fringe 
benefits when officers reached those higher job classifications.  
Chairwoman O’Brien thanked staff for their presentation and data driven approach in 
solving the department’s hiring issues.  
CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
None. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman O’Brien adjourned the meeting at 11:38 a.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Cooper Payne 
Management Intern