Attachment A - Policy Session City Council Action Items.pdf
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Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 This document provides a summary of the action items approved by the Mayor and Council during the City Council Policy Session on September 24, 2024. The Policy Session included four items on the City’s efforts to address homelessness, increase accountability and transparency, and improve public safety. Three of the four items included a series of 37 actions taken by Council. These action items included: • 26 items included in a memo from the Mayor and members of the City Council with an additional two approved recommendations made during the Council discussion. • Two formal actions to add ongoing staff to the Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) and the Phoenix Police Department (PPD). • Seven staff recommendations, such as implementing additional trainings and new technologies. Of the 37 action items approved by the Mayor and City Council, 29 of the 37 items are now completed with nine of those having ongoing elements. The remaining eight items are in progress. Action Item Community Benefit Overview Key Deliverable Update Performance Metric 1. The Police Department shall more effectively collect data on all stops, searches, arrests, and uses of force to include – at a minimum – the involved citizen’s age, race, gender and housing status. This item improves data collection to increase transparency, strengthen accountability, and help identify and address disparities, fostering greater trust between law enforcement and the community. New Records Management System now captures all required demographic data. Quarterly Reporting on demographics and disposition of stops, searches and arrests. 2. Performance Compliance Team shall regularly audit a sample of police reports to ensure officers are correctly applying the Fourth Amendment, including providing sufficient basis for reasonable suspicion in making stops and probable cause for searches. Audits shall be used as a tool for identifying training deficiencies This item establishes audits that will improve accountability, ensure constitutional protections are upheld, and identify training needs. Professional personnel hired and in place. Sworn supervisor to be identified. OIB to formulating compliance framework. Annual Reporting on results of audits. Start Sept Completed Sept 2025 ATTACHMENT A Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 and opportunities. Findings shall be shared with the City Council and the Civilian Review Board on no less than an annual basis. 3. PPD shall create a new Investigative Sergeant position in all precincts and other bureaus who report directly to the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB). Any misconduct that appears to rise to the level of a written reprimand shall be investigated by the Investigative Sergeant, which will allow Patrol Sergeants to remain on the streets supervising their direct-report officers. Misconduct that may rise to the level of suspension, demotion, or termination shall be investigated by PSB investigators. Dedicated Investigative Sergeants will handle misconduct cases, ensuring thorough and impartial investigations. This frees Patrol Sergeants to stay in the field, improving supervision and response times. The structure strengthens accountability and public trust while maintaining safety. New unit was launched in June 2025 Annual reporting on allegations, disposition, discipline, and productivity. 4. The PSB manual, once revised, shall provide clear standards for the thoroughness of investigative Revised PSB manual will set clear standards for investigative report thoroughness and evidence review, The PSB manual was updated to provide clear requirements for PSB Constant review of Bureau Manual to ensure policies and In Progress Target Completion December 2026 Start Sept 70% Start Sept Completed June 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 reports. The manual shall also set clear standards for reviewing all relevant evidence available in an investigation. ensuring consistent, high-quality investigations. This promotes accountability and strengthens public confidence in fair and transparent processes. personnel when completing reports and reviewing evidence. procedures reflect City values. 5. When conducting misconduct investigations, PSB shall review all aspects of the incident—including those beyond the scope of the initial complaint—for compliance with PPD policies and training, as well as applicable laws. Ensures PSB reviews all aspects of misconduct incidents—not just the initial complaint—for compliance with policies, training, and laws. This comprehensive approach improves accountability and reduces overlooked issues. The PSB manual details the requirements for investigations to review all aspects of the incident. Constant review of investigations to ensure compliance. 6. PSB use of force investigations must fully explore whether an officer(s) effectively considered de-escalation strategies and tactics during the incident in question. PSB shall further explore and document how officers perceive their actions and decision-making within the framework of policies & training, as well as applicable laws. Implement targeted training programs to enhance officer skills and accountability, fostering safer community interactions. Manual was revised to outline interview practices for PSB personnel. Constant review of investigations to ensure compliance. Start Sept Completed April 2025 Start Sept Completed Feb 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 7. Police Department shall provide or procure regular and ongoing training for all PSB investigators. Regular training for PSB investigators ensures staff stay current on best practices, policies, and legal standards. This leads to more accurate, thorough investigations, reinforcing accountability and public trust in the department. Proficiency training tailored to PSB delivered by Daigle Law Group completed. Mandatory training for PSB personnel. 8. PSB investigative bodies may not provide mere conclusory declarations such as “sustained,” “unfounded,” “unresolved,” “exonerated,” “within policy” or “out of policy.” PPD shall, in all circumstances, provide a thorough and complete analysis and rationale for all investigative findings and conclusions. PSB investigations shall further categorize the totality of the officer’s actions as Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 (as defined by PD Ops Order 3.18) and shall identify opportunities for improvement, if any, during the incident. Requires PSB to provide detailed analyses and rationales for all findings, rather than simple labels. Categorizing actions (Class 1–3) and identifying improvement opportunities ensures transparency, accountability, and continuous officer development— building public trust in fair, thorough investigations. PSB manual updated to outline report writing requirements for PSB personnel when articulating investigative findings as well as providing direction to review board members when articulating reasons for findings recommendations. Constant review of investigations to ensure compliance. Start Sept Completed Dec 2024 Start Sept Completed June 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 9. PSB shall set and publish clear deadlines for completing investigative reports. If a report is completed beyond the deadline, the reasons for delay shall be articulated at the end of the report. Publishing clear deadlines for investigative reports—and requiring explanations for delays—promotes transparency and accountability. This ensures timely resolution of cases, builds trust in the process, and reassures the community that investigations are handled efficiently and fairly. Manual sections align with Arizona Revised Statues regarding clear deadlines and outlines standards. Constant review of investigations to ensure compliance. 10. PSB shall collect and record data for all citizen complaints, including the nature of the complaint and precinct and officer(s) involved. The Department shall regularly review the data and its trends to determine whether additional training may be necessary throughout a particular precinct or the Department and provide the data (not including personal identifying information) and its analysis of the data to the City Council and the Civilian Review Collecting and analyzing complaint data helps identify patterns and training needs across precincts, improving officer performance and reducing misconduct. Sharing non-identifiable data and trend analysis with the City Council and Civilian Review Board promotes transparency, accountability, and community trust. Centralized Intake Team has been identified and will work in concert with the PSB Field Investigations Unit to record all complaints received at PSB, community and from the field. The City’s website has been updated to account for this streamlined approach for receiving online complaints and compliments. Annual reporting on disposition and associated performance training requirements. Start Sept Completed April 2025 Start Sept Completed April 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 Board on no less than an annual basis. 11. PSB shall provide a written response to the citizen complainant explaining the investigation’s findings. Providing written responses to complainants about investigation findings ensures transparency and respect for community members. The goal is to build trust by keeping residents informed, demonstrating accountability, and reinforcing confidence in the complaint process. The letter of findings will include each allegation, the associated finding for each allegation and the manner of determination. Constant review of investigations to ensure compliance. 12. The City shall create a dedicated hotline for citizens to report potential officer misconduct to PSB. A dedicated hotline for reporting officer misconduct or a commendation makes it easier for citizens to provide information quickly and efficiently. The new centralized hotline and online intake form was launched in November 2025. Annual reporting on hotline use. 13. The Department shall adopt clear standards and accountability measures for PSB investigators, supervisors and commanders to ensure that all potential law and policy violations are fully investigated, and- if Clear standards and accountability measures for PSB investigators, supervisors, and commanders ensure every potential law or policy violation is fully investigated. Incorporating multiple levels of oversight—including referral of serious cases to the CIRB— PSB manual sections updated to outline standards for PSB personnel requiring all potential law and policy violations to be investigated. Constant review of investigations to ensure compliance. Start Sept Completed & Ongoing Nov 2025 Start Sept Completed Nov 2024 Start Sept Completed Nov 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 required-referred to the Critical Incident Review Board (CIRB). strengthens transparency, consistency, and public confidence in fair and thorough investigations. 14. PSB shall establish a clear policy for forwarding Brady materials as timely as possible to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and other relevant outside agencies. Timely sharing of Brady materials with prosecutors and relevant agencies ensures fairness in the judicial process and strengthens accountability. PSB manual updated to detail the dissemination of ‘Brady’ material. Annual reporting on notifications. 15. When making deviations of discipline from the Disciplinary Review Board (DRB), the Police Chief shall fully explain the rationale for doing so and explain why the deviation is in the best interest of the Department and the community. The City Manager must approve all recommendations for downward deviations of discipline. In a manner that protects the confidentiality of individuals under review, the City Council Greater transparency and accountability in disciplinary decisions build trust by ensuring deviations are justified and overseen at multiple levels. Annual reporting to elected officials adds an extra layer of oversight, reinforcing confidence that discipline aligns with community and departmental standards. PSB Manual CIRB findings memorandum template and Police Chief and CMO deviation memorandum template completed. Annual report was provided to City Council in September 2025. Annual reporting of discipline deviations. Start Sept Completed & Ongoing Nov 2025 Start Sept Completed Jan 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 shall receive an annual report regarding the recommendations of the DRB. 16. The Disciplinary Review Board shall add one additional citizen to its membership, for a total of three citizens. By increasing citizen representation on the Disciplinary Review Board, the city hopes to strengthen community voice in oversight, promote transparency, and enhance public trust in discipline. Additional civilian and sworn members added to the Discipline Review Board in line with Arizona Revised Statutes. N/A 17. The Police Department shall develop and implement a policy for Special Assignments Unit officers to use body-worn cameras when engaging with the public and adopt policies regarding the disclosure of the unit’s footage in accordance with state public records laws. Using body-worn cameras and ensuring proper disclosure of footage increases transparency and accountability during public interactions. Body-Worn Camera policy includes requirement for SAU to comply with Department’s BWC Policy. Compliance Scorecards Start Sept Complete & Ongoing April 2025 Start Sept Completed Sep 2025 Start Sept Completed Sep 2024 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 18. Continue efforts to prioritize staffing levels for 911 and Radio Dispatchers (including evaluating additional increases in pay) to alleviate the current high vacancy rate. Staffing at full levels will create the coverage necessary to improve training opportunities for all dispatchers. Fully staffed 911 and dispatch teams improve emergency response times and service reliability. This results in better training opportunities, enhancing dispatcher performance and ensuring the community receives timely, effective assistance during emergencies. Hiring plan for additional personnel was developed and implemented with hiring and referral bonuses. Class and Comp reviewing peer agencies. Quarterly reporting on recruitment and staffing. 19. The Fire Department’s Community Assistance Program (CAP) shall have 24/7 dispatch coverage by the end of the first quarter 2025. This enhances community safety and well-being by providing consistent assistance whenever it’s needed. Additional CAP personnel were hired in January 2025. Achieved 24/7 dispatch covered in 2025. 20. The Police Department shall create policies with community input regarding interactions with youth and vulnerable populations including the unsheltered community and those with behavioral health challenges that include special considerations for Developing policies with community input promotes trust, reduces harm, and demonstrates a commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of all community members. Staff completed youth surveys with over 2,000 responses. Draft policies for Youth Interactions and Interactions with Individuals Experiencing Homelessness are complete with an anticipated go- live date of July & August 2026, respectively. Developing policy with direction from Council and community input. Start Sept Complete & Ongoing Sep 2025 Start Sept Completed March 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 consensual contacts, use of force, interviews, and interrogations. Draft policies for Juvenile Procedures and Individuals with Mental or Physical Disabilities to be available for public comment in September 2026. 21. The Police Department shall provide training to its officers on how to best utilize crisis intervention resources (such as the Crisis Intervention Team) as well as services provided by the Community Assistance Program and Office of Homeless Solutions. Training officers to effectively use crisis intervention and community support resources improves responses to individuals in crisis, reduces unnecessary escalation, and connects vulnerable populations to appropriate services. Training on CAP and OHS distributed throughout 2025 on resources available to officers when interacting with the community. Ongoing training, pilot program to increase knowledge base and trained staff. 22. The Police Department shall adopt policies that allow the Crisis Intervention Team to prioritize urgent or time-sensitive matters over duties that are not core to the CIT mission. Allowing the Crisis Intervention Team to focus on urgent, time-sensitive matters ensures faster and more effective responses for individuals in crisis. This prioritization reduces delays, improves outcomes for vulnerable populations, An interdepartmental effort has been established to address this item. Pending legislative change at state level. Pilot program to increase knowledge base and staffing. In Progress Target Completion December 2026 Start Sept 70% Start Sept Completed Aug 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 and strengthens community trust in emergency support systems. In Progress 23. The Police Department shall continually survey the best practices of similarly-situation law enforcement agencies throughout the nation and update its own policies and training to ensure that Phoenix is employing nationally recognized best practices. Regularly adopting nationally recognized best practices will ensure policies and training remain current, effective, and aligned with proven standards. This commitment will enhance professionalism and improves service quality, Business subject matter experts were identified, and review cadence finalized in March 2025. Reporting requirements for every policy update 24. The Police Department shall enhance customer service training for officers and staff who engage with members of the public. Enhanced customer service training will improve the quality of interactions between officers, staff, and the public. Mandatory Department-wide training implemented in March 2026. Annual in-service training and constant audit by supervisory staff. 25. Professional staff shall update the City Council and the Civilian Review Board on the Police Regular compliance updates to oversight bodies ensure transparency Tracking sheet was developed. The most recent report was provided to Semi-Annual Reporting Start Sept 50% Start Sept Completed & Ongoing June 2025 In Progress Target Completion Dec 2026 Start Sept 25% In Progress Target Completion June 2027 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 Department’s compliance with recommendations by the Office of Accountability and Transparency every 6 months. and accountability in implementing reform recommendations. the Council in the September 2025 Policy Session. 26. Professional staff shall update the City Council and the Civilian Review Board of its progress on the aforementioned public safety reforms in writing every three months over the next three years. Frequent written progress updates to oversight bodies will ensure transparency and sustained accountability throughout the improvement process. Most recent progress report provided in September 2025. Quarterly Reporting Additional Requests by Councilmembers during the September 2024 Policy Session Action Item Community Benefit Overview Key Deliverable Update Performance Metrics 1. Staff to return to the Oct. 22 Policy Meeting with a proposal to implement new technology such as a voice activated intelligence system for Crimestop no later than the end of the first quarter of 2025. This will improve efficiency and accessibility for reporting crimes. Faster, easier reporting enhances community safety, encourages public participation, and demonstrates a commitment to modern, responsive policing. The system went live on August 13, 2025. Ongoing review of effectiveness and use of system. Start Sept Complete & Ongoing April 2025 Start Sept Complete & Ongoing April 2025 Start Sept Completed June 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 2. Requested a community feedback process, timeline, budget and outreach plan for the reforms and public safety. The City Council approved the implementation of Zencity’s Blockwise platform, a monthly survey tool designed to gather community sentiment on public safety. Zencity launched the Blockwise tool in July 2025 Quarterly Reporting Staff Recommended Formal Actions Adopted by Mayor and City Council during September 2024 Policy Session Action Item Community Benefit Overview Key Deliverable Update Performance Metrics 1. Create four new positions in PD including one police research supervisor and three police research analysts. Adding research-focused positions enhances the department’s ability to analyze data, evaluate policies, and implement evidence-based strategies. This leads to smarter decision-making, improved public safety initiatives, and greater accountability—ultimately benefiting the community through more effective policing. Supervisor hired in February 2025. Researchers hired April 2025. Positions created and in place. 2. Convert 14 temporary, FT positions in OHS to ongoing positions. This change will strengthen service continuity, improve program stability, and help retain experienced staff. It fosters trust with the community and Approved during the September 24, 2024, Council meeting. Start Sept Complete & Ongoing July 2025 Start Sept Completed April 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 ensures more efficient use of resources. Staff Recommended Policy Directives Approved by Mayor and City Council during September 2024 Policy Session Action Item Community Benefit Overview Key Deliverable Update Performance Metrics 1. Launch training in partnership with tribal nation police departments. This initiative will strengthen collaboration with tribal law enforcement, improve public safety, build trust, and promote cultural competency through shared training and best practices. Training initiated in 2024. Annual in-service training begins in 2026. Annual in-service training and constant audit by supervisory staff. 2. Develop a biennial training plan for CIT officers. This initiative will enhance officer preparedness through modern approaches to crisis and mental health response. Training Plan developed: 8- hour requirement, with 4 hours mandatory and 4 hours elective training. Ongoing training, pilot program to increase knowledge base and trained staff. 3. Explore youth prevention programming. This program is intended to provide additional resources to youth at risk of violence, substance abuse and involvement in the criminal justice Funding has been identified from the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program fund to support a youth prevention TBD Start Sept Completed Sep 2024 Start Sept Completed Dec 2024 Start Sept Completed & Ongoing Sep 2025 Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 system, while providing supportive environments and interventions. pilot program. The program will be implemented under the direction of the Mayor and City Council. 4. Explore additional services to be provided by civilian staff, rather than sworn PD employees. Increase sworn presence to reduce calls for service response times Review Arizona State University (ASU) Calls for Service study and PFM Staffing study to develop a proposal for the identification of sworn positions which can be converted to professional staff. Ongoing review with Budget and Research. 5. Conduct community engagement process to assist in developing continuous improvement plan. This effort will inform the citizens and PPD employees of the police department’s values and direction. Document will serve as strategic plan incorporating a plan to address crime and ensure continuous improvement. The development of the Chief’s combined Department Plan will include engagement with community and department stakeholders. Annual Reporting In Progress Target Completion 2027 Start June 2025 10% In Progress Target Completion June 2026 Start Sept 75% Mayor and City Council Public Safety Improvement Action Items Policy Session Summary As of April 28, 2026 6. Research and submit a plan to Council to procure an early intervention system. This initiative will proactively identify patterns of concern, prevent issues from escalating, support officer wellness, and improve accountability to strengthen community trust. Vendor approved by City Council in 2025. Procurement is complete. System requirements are in the process of being finalized. Quarterly reporting on project implementation 7. Launch First Amendment facilitation and management policy for community feedback. This policy will ensure peaceful and lawful expression of First Amendment rights, reduce conflicts during public demonstrations, and promote trust by providing clear guidelines for managing events safely and respectfully. Policy finalized and mandatory training has been launched. Reporting post-First Amendment Events In Progress Target Completion October 2026 Start Sept 40% In Progress Target Completion June 2027 Start Sept 40% Start Sept Completed Dec 2025