Attachment A_PSJ Subcommittee Minutes_Mar 9 2022.pdf

Phoenix City Council 
Public Safety and Justice (PSJ) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, March 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, 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 Feb. 9, 2022 Public
Safety and Justice Subcommittee meeting. Councilwoman Ansari seconded the motion,
which passed unanimously 4-0.
INFORMATION ONLY (ITEM 2) 
2. Phoenix Police Department Hiring and Recruitment Monthly Report
Information only. No Councilmember requested additional information.
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEM 3) 
3. Phoenix Police Department Staffing Follow-Up Discussion
Assistant City Manager Lori Bays introduced the item and presenters.
Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Michael Kurtenbach introduced Assistant 
Chief Bryan Chapman. 
Chief Chapman described recent police hiring statistics. 
Councilman Waring asked about the impact of COVID-19 on police recruitments. 
Attachment A

Chief Chapman noted that the pandemic temporarily eliminated in-person recruitment 
efforts. 
Councilman Waring expressed the value of in-person engagement with potential 
applicants and asked if the City had resumed in-person recruitment efforts. 
Chief Chapman indicated that the City had updated its police recruitment strategies and 
that these would be described throughout the presentation.   
Councilman Waring asked if the presentation would cover the in-person recruitment 
strategies utilized pre-pandemic. 
Chief Chapman confirmed that it would. He explained the Arizona Peace Officer 
Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) requirements for police officers, recruitment 
strategies utilized by the City, process efficiencies and improvements, and lateral 
recruitment statistics and efforts. He also described the activities of the Polygraph Unit 
conducting pre-employment polygraphs.  
Councilman Waring asked for clarification on the criminal polygraphs conducted by the 
Polygraph Unit. 
Chief Chapman noted that criminal polygraphs were conducted to contribute to criminal 
investigations by the department. 
Councilman Waring suggested that the City may pursue the use of a consultant firm, 
civilian staff, or retired officers in recruitment efforts. 
Chief Chapman indicated staff was exploring options in each of the suggested areas. 
Councilman Waring asked how the potential Fast Track Program for lateral applicants 
would impact existing officers at the City. 
Chief Chapman explained that staff was consulting with the Phoenix Law Enforcement 
Association (PLEA) to ensure the potential program could be implemented without 
conflict and clarified the program’s goals to attract additional lateral applicants. 
Councilman Waring asked why so few lateral applicants had been hired. 
Chief Chapman described various reasons why lateral applicants may not be hired by 
the City, including personnel challenges or internal investigations in their previous 
position. 
Councilman Waring asked how the City compared to other law enforcement agencies in 
the region, noting that the City had previously been the employer of choice for police 
officers in the area. 
Chief Chapman expressed the value of the City’s size in attracting lateral recruitments. 
He added that some officers that had left the City to work in other agencies had 
returned due to the associated opportunities for growth with the City.

Councilman Waring noted that new recruitments may be more promising than lateral 
recruitments to address current staffing levels. 
Chief Chapman indicated that about 10% of both new and lateral applicants were hired 
into the organization and suggested that lateral recruitments may offer an opportunity to 
improve current staffing levels. 
Councilman Waring asked staff to further analyze data regarding applicant testing 
attendance and passing rates.  
Chief Chapman explained that testing was conducted by a vendor that allowed 
applicants nationwide to access the test and that the passing rate had declined over the 
last year. He noted that higher test scores were not correlated with higher success in 
the hiring process and described the purpose of the pilot education waiver program to 
further enhance the hiring process.  
Councilman Waring encouraged staff to explore non-sworn opportunities for 
employment in the Phoenix Police Department for 18- to 20-year-old individuals. 
Chief Chapman reiterated the opportunities offered through non-sworn positions in the 
department for 18- to 20-year-olds. 
Councilman Waring suggested that these positions may also help younger individuals 
remain eligible to become police officers under AZPOST requirements.  
Councilmember Garcia expressed his support for the non-sworn opportunities for 18- to 
20-year-olds. He asked for additional statistics about applicant failure rates at various 
stages of the application process.  
Chief Chapman indicated that staff could follow up with these statistics. 
Councilmember Garcia asked staff to review the impact of the marijuana usage 
restriction on hiring to determine if changes to this policy could improve staffing levels. 
He also asked for additional clarification on the proposed education and military 
waivers. 
Chief Chapman stated that applicants with an associates’ degree and above would not 
have to complete the applicant testing phase and that a similar military waiver may be 
explored if the pilot education waiver was successful.  
Councilmember Garcia asked if recruiting efforts had included current City employees in 
other departments. 
Chief Chapman explained that current City employees would have to undergo the same 
hiring process as other applicants and described the reserve officer program that 
engages many City employees in other departments.  
Chief Kurtenbach clarified that AZPOST standards required that police officers had not 
used marijuana in the past two years. He described the current Police Department

staffing levels and efforts to pursue position reallocation and civilianization to address 
related issues.  
Councilman Waring asked about the purpose of the newly added civilian positions. 
Chief Kurtenbach indicated that the new civilian positions were intended to augment the 
work done by sworn officers, not replace them. 
Councilman Waring asked how the younger generation could be engaged to assist 
sworn officers with digital investigations. 
Chief Kurtenbach noted that staff were exploring various opportunities for engaging the 
younger generation with non-sworn positions.  
Councilman Waring reiterated the potential impact of utilizing non-sworn staff in online 
investigations. 
Councilwoman O’Brien expressed her excitement about the positive response to the 
recently posted civilian positions.  
Ms. Bays recognized ongoing staff efforts to improve the recruitment process and noted 
that staff may request assistance from Council District offices to continue these efforts. 
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
None. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman O’Brien adjourned the meeting at 10:29 a.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Sara Del Valle 
Management Intern