02.04.2026 PSJ Minutes Draft.pdf

Attachment A 
 
Phoenix City Council 
Public Safety and Justice (PSJ) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
04 February 2026 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Arizona 
Subcommittee Members Present                 
    Subcommittee Members Absent         
Councilman Kevin Robinson, Chair 
Councilman Jim Waring 
Councilwoman Betty Guardado – arrived at 11:02 a.m.  
Councilwoman Ann O’Brien 
 
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairman Robinson called the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee (PSJ) to order 
at 10:03 a.m. with 3 members present.  
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee Meeting 
Councilwoman O’Brien made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 7, 2026, 
Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee meeting. Councilman Waring seconded the 
motion which passed unanimously, 3-0. 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 2-5) 
2. Fireworks Safety Task Force Update  
Assistant City Manager Lori Bays thanked the task force for its efforts in addressing 
illegal fireworks complaints raised by Council. Ms. Bays shared the interdepartmental 
team has worked within state law constraints to improve enforcement, ensure thorough 
inspections of vendors, and enhance communication with the community. She 
recognized Chief Alexander and the team for their leadership and collaboration, and an 
update on progress will be provided.  
Assistant Fire Chief Justin Alexander thanked the team for the work they have  done 
and outlined the presentation, which covered the task force’s background, mission, 
objectives, and strategy. Mr. Alexander shared the task force was formed in response to

increased fireworks complaints and a rise in Police and Fire calls during major holidays. 
He emphasized its mission to protect public safety, reduce nuisances, and improve 
health by eliminating illegal aerial fireworks within city limits. Chief Alexander explained 
the taskforce applied the community risk reduction model, collecting and analyzing data 
to guide enforcement and planning. He shared the taskforce is committed to enforcing 
code provisions regulating the sale, possession, and use of fireworks while prioritizing 
public safety and highlighted great progress within the parameters of the State law to 
complete enforcements and ensure communication with the community to address 
concerns.  
Assistant Fire Marshal Eric Williams noted the Phoenix Fire Code prohibits consumer 
fireworks and State law preempts and limits local jurisdictions from enforcing and 
permitting permit use during dates listed in the Arizona Rice statues. Assistant Marshal 
Williams emphasized as a result, Fire prevention only conducted inspections of sale 
sites whose quantities of fireworks required permitting in accordance with State law, 
which was a small percentage. He shared, starting for the fourth of July and New Years 
2025, Fire staff inspected all permitted, identified, and potential firework sites to help 
validate that only legal permissible consumer fireworks are being sold and done so 
safely in the community. He highlighted this initiative resulted in more than 600 
inspections last year which led to encounters of a few locations where non-permissible 
fireworks were identified. Mr. Williams shared postseason inspections conducted after 
the holiday will help verify if fireworks are removed from businesses and tents in the 
community once the State law dates expire.  
Deputy Communications Director Ashley Patton shared the Communications Office 
created a coordinated, multimedia, multiplatform, education campaign titled Celebrate 
Safely to ensure the community is aware of all of the work. Ms. Patton emphasized the 
goal is to raise awareness and reduce fire related incidents. She highlighted 
collaboration efforts through engagement with several stakeholders including the Mayor, 
Council, Neighborhood Services Department, Public Works Department, 
Communications Office, and external partners such as ValleyWise Health. She also 
shared the Communications Office also worked with Maricopa Associations of 
Government (MAG) on the impact to air quality and public health. She highlighted the 
team’s community engagement Ask Me Anything approach through Reddit which 
garnered 37,000 views and demonstrates Phoenix’s leadership in digital engagement.  
Ms. Patton shared a sampling of the campaign and highlighted the Light Up the Sky in 
District 5 event, supported by Councilwoman Guardado. Ms. Patton also highlighted the 
After Dark in the Park in District 1 which won the Blue Sky Award from Valley Metro and 
congratulated Councilwoman O’Brien. She then shared Celebrate Safely Campaign 
examples.  
Lieutenant Brian Rimsza discussed the Police Department’s support of the City’s 
Firework Safety Task Force Lieutenant Rimsza stated the fireworks educational 
campaign began in June 2025 and the Police Department focused on community

engagement, Community Connect and dedicated staffing. He explained the Community 
Connect software allows staff to communicate with the community and provided callers 
with a link to the fireworks educational platform. Lieutenant Rimsza explained two 
officers in each precinct were assigned to respond to fireworks calls and additional 
training provided to all officers explaining the educational campaign. Lieutenant Rimsza 
shared community engagement began weeks prior to the 4th of July and New Years 
holidays and involved the use of hotspot maps from previous years to contact residents 
and attend events across all seven precincts. He added leading up to the fourth of July, 
there were approximately 1,500 contacts, and nearly 3,000 contacts before New Years. 
Lieutenant Rimsza emphasized fireworks calls for service increased significantly in 
2025 due to a dedicated radio code and education efforts, correcting prior 
underreporting when calls were grouped under city ordinance offenses. He added for 
New Years, efforts focused on fireworks and celebratory gunfire, emphasizing 
Shannon’s Law, a Class 6 felony named after Shannon Smith, who was killed by a stray 
bullet in 1999. He noted during the New Years holiday, two arrests were made for 
celebratory gunfire, with additional cases under investigation. Lieutenant Rimsza 
concluded fireworks calls have risen over the past four years due to education and 
tracking improvements, while celebratory gunfire calls remain higher during New Years, 
with New Years Eve being the most active date for gunfire in the city. 
Chief Alexander stated that categories of calls were analyzed to measure the impact of 
efforts on the Phoenix Fire Department’s emergency response during the 4th of July 
and New Year’s holidays. Chief Alexander highlighted that on the 4th of July last year, 
the Phoenix Fire Investigation staff  were dispatched to five fire incidents between 10 
p.m. and midnight: three house fires and two debris fires. He explained two incidents 
identified fireworks as the ignition source, while others had multiple potential sources, 
including fireworks. Chief Alexander emphasized in 2024, nuisance fire activity on the 
4th of July decreased by approximately 38 percent, and in 2025, by another 18 percent, 
totaling a 49 percent reduction over two years. He noted that calls for service during the 
past two New Year’s holidays decreased by 44 percent. Chief Alexander shared moving 
forward, the task force will continue planning fireworks education and risk reduction 
initiatives, strengthen regional partnerships, and collaborate with MAG to address health 
and air quality impacts of fireworks. He emphasized joint messaging will continue 
through the Fireworks or Breathtaking campaign, and the legal team is reviewing 
potential City code amendments to align with State law and enhance enforcement.  
Councilman Waring asked what does State law allow regarding fireworks and can you 
use them as long as they stay on the ground. 
Chief Alexander replied consumer fireworks are legal by State law and permissible by 
the City.

Councilman Waring stated it sounds like we are accurately saying we could send 
officers out, but there’s a good chance this is going to be a legal activity during New 
Years, Christmas, and fourth of July cause of State law.  
Chief Alexander replied that is correct, that is legally permissible during those times and 
the Fire Department is looking for ways to leverage enforcement and our inspections. 
Mr. Alexander stated the health messaging is especially promising, and folks 
understand the repercussions of even ground-based fireworks, the team hopes the 
community will respond and lessen their use. 
Councilman Waring expressed skepticism about focusing on air quality messaging for 
individuals using fireworks and suggested that tougher penalties and increased officer 
presence might be more effective. Councilman Waring then emphasized most people 
likely know celebratory gunfire is illegal and questioned whether awareness campaigns 
have significant impact. He then asked if there were a couple hundred incidents but only 
a handful of prosecutions.  
Lieutenant Rimsza stated yes, that is true, there were two arrests.  
Councilman Waring asked was the 49 percent reduction and the 44 percent reduction 
related to fireworks incidents only, or to all fires during those time periods.  
Chief Alexander replied those are categorized as fires likely to be caused by fireworks.  
Councilman Waring stated concerns about roof fires caused by fireworks are valid and 
echoed by residents who contact him each year, but enforcement is limited by State law 
and legal fireworks cannot be prosecuted. Councilman Waring asked if authorities are 
ever able to identify and hold individuals accountable in cases where a firework sets a 
roof on fire.  
Lieutenant Rimsza replied every significant fire is investigated by the Phoenix Fire 
Investigation Task Force and in July 2025, two fires were definitively classified as 
intentionally caused by fireworks. 
Councilman Waring asked if the Task Force caught the actual person who caused the 
fire and were they prosecuted for burning down someone’s house.  
Chief Alexander replied without discussing specific investigations, he could confirm that 
in one case, charges were pressed against an individual. 
Councilman Waring stated increasing penalties for offenders might be more effective 
than relying on awareness campaigns, noting past success with tougher DUI penalties. 
Councilman Waring expressed skepticism about the impact of health messaging and 
videos, stating that stronger deterrence and focused messaging on legal consequences 
could be more effective.

Ms. Bays added one of the next steps is to present potential code amendments to 
strengthen enforcement. She explained the recommendations will include increasing 
penalties to emphasize the seriousness of violations and consequences. She stated the 
proposals will be briefed to the Council, discussed in this subcommittee, and then 
brought forward for full Council approval.  
Councilman Waring stated current efforts such as community meetings do not reach 
everyone and suggested leveraging HOA’s and other groups to amplify messaging. He 
emphasized penalties for serious incidents such as house fires caused by fireworks 
should be highlighted in advertising.  
Councilwoman O’Brien expressed her appreciation for the inspections of consumer 
fireworks vendors and tents. She asked how many fireworks were confiscated, how 
many vendors were non-compliant, and what criteria determined whether fireworks 
were confiscated versus returned to distributors. 
Assistant Marshal Williams replied no fireworks were confiscated last year and 
approximately six to twelve retail locations were found with non-permissible fireworks, 
typically due to shipments from national distributors that included products legal in other 
states but not in Arizona. He added the items were removed from sales, isolated, and 
returned to the distributor and confiscation only occurs when fireworks are sold illegally 
by individuals or convenience stores without a legal distributor to return them to. 
Councilwoman O’Brien shared her appreciation for retailers not being punished for 
distributor mistakes but emphasized retailers have an obligation to know what it 
permissible to sell in Arizona. She asked if retailers who repeatedly have non-
permissible fireworks are being tracked and how will repeat violations be handled.  
Assistant Marshal Williams replied it is being tracked and the Fire Department has 
advised the retailers, corporate offices and distributors if there are repeated violations 
the department will move into a confiscation phase.  
Councilwoman O’Brien clarified her understanding that retailers get one chance before 
stricter action is taken and asked after the first violation, if the second time results in 
confiscation, what additional penalties apply beyond taking the product. 
Assistant Marshal Williams answered under the Fire Code, selling illegal fireworks 
results in either a civil citation or a Class 1 misdemeanor and penalties include 
confiscation and fines ranging from 500 dollars to 2,500 dollars. Mr. Williams added if 
prosecuted criminally, penalties can include up to six months in jail. He explained 
citations are issued to the responsible party, which can be challenging for large 
corporations but straightforward for individuals or small stores. 
Councilwoman O’Brien stated she anticipates a briefing on the recommended changes 
to the ordinances. She emphasized the need to review penalties for businesses while 
continuing to lead with education and outreach and noted illegal fireworks disrupt

neighborhoods, traumatize pets, and impact air quality despite progress shown by a 50 
percent reduction in fireworks-related calls on the fourth of July and 44 percent at New 
Years. Councilwoman O’Brien expressed appreciation for the Fireworks Safety Task 
Force and its collaborative efforts with city departments and MAG. She added moving 
forward, enforcement should include penalties for those who refuse to follow the rules, 
alongside education and alternatives. Councilwoman O’Brien urged continued efforts to 
make holidays safer, improve air quality, and ensure peaceful neighborhoods. 
Chairman Robinson thanked the presenters and Fireworks Safety Task Force.  
4. City of Phoenix 2025 Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team Report- Citywide  
Human Services Department (HSD) Director Jacqueline Edwards stated she will be 
reviewing the definition of domestic violence, national and city statistics, an overview of 
the Phoenix Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT), and updates on 
recommendations from the January 2025 report. She added that case information and 
recommendations from the 2025 DVFRT report would also be shared.  
Ms. Edwards emphasized the importance of starting with a clear definition: domestic 
violence is a pattern of abuse used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control 
over another intimate partner. She noted that this includes physical, sexual, emotional, 
economic, psychological, and technological abuse or threats. She highlighted that over 
ten million adults experience domestic violence annually, with 41 percent of women and 
26 percent of men affected in their lifetime. She shared that in 2024, Phoenix Police 
Department recorded 33,048 domestic violence calls for service and 23,889 incident 
reports, with assaults being the most reported type. She added that 35 cases were 
classified as stalking, which is relevant to this year’s case. Ms. Edwards noted that the 
most common abuser-victim relationship in Phoenix was among unmarried persons, 
and physical force was the most used weapon. She shared that the Phoenix Family 
Advocacy Center assisted 4,822 children, while the Human Services Department 
served nearly 4,000 adults and provided over 15,600 individualized services, including 
protection orders and shelter connections. Additionally, 785 medical referrals were 
made to Honor Health. 
She explained that the DVFRT, created in 2006, examines domestic violence fatalities 
and near fatalities to improve system responses with a team of city staff and external 
representatives from criminal justice, advocacy, health care, and academia. She stated 
the team is chaired by HSD Assistant Director Tracee Hall and Police Commander 
Steve Martos. Ms. Edwards highlighted five recommendations from the 2024 case 
review and provided updates including: updated protocols requiring Police and Fire to 
coordinate on domestic violence calls, medical follow up with documentation from Honor 
Health, and added strangulation category to the Police Department’s records system, a 
new case management system, new policies for client engagement and full 
strangulation training by June 2026.

Human Services Department Assistant Director Tracee Hall stated the case 
requirements for Phoenix DVFRT review include that the case must involve a fatality or 
near fatality occurring in Phoenix and be fully adjudicated by the court system. She 
shared that this year’s case involved a heterosexual married couple with three children 
who lived together but had contemplated divorce. She explained the wife was seeing 
another man, and the husband used a geo-tracking system to stalk her location. Ms. 
Hall noted in May 2022, the husband messaged his wife accusing her of being with her 
boyfriend and threatened to post a suggestive photo on social media to shame her. She 
added the wife threatened to call the police and stayed away from home for several 
days in response. Ms. Hall stated when the wife returned, the husband had left with his 
belongings and a gun and later that month he picked up the children, took them to his 
mother’s house, and then drove to the boyfriend’s home. She explained after an 
unanswered call to his wife, the husband entered the home, fatally shot the boyfriend, 
and threatened the wife before leaving to then later contact family to see the children 
and turn himself in. Ms. Hall emphasized that while less common, assaults and fatalities 
targeting new romantic partners of domestic violence victims occur and represent 
another tragic outcome. She noted that due to the complexity of this case, the 
committee found it challenging to identify multiple systemic enhancement 
recommendations. She added that the recommendations in the 2025 report are broad 
approaches to education, prevention, and response. 
Police Commander Steve Martos stated DVFRT developed three key recommendations 
from the 2025 case assessment. Commander Martos emphasized the need to research 
domestic violence education and prevention programs, noting the growing influence of 
technology and social media on relationships, particularly among youth. He explained 
that the team recommends creating a subcommittee to explore community-based 
initiatives focused on healthy relationships, boundaries, and technology use, as well as 
developing a resource library to share widely with community members and partners. 
Commander Martos highlighted the importance of expanding domestic violence 
education and awareness campaigns and noted in this case, there were multiple missed 
opportunities for intervention and support. He shared the team suggests reviewing and 
enhancing existing city training materials, developing a domestic violence training 
module for all city employees, potentially on an annual basis, and exploring external 
partnerships to increase awareness and improve prevention efforts. Commander Martos 
provided the third recommendation which is researching options to amend sentencing 
statutes to include a domestic violence enhancement. He emphasized this would 
involve exploring legislative changes to add an additional two to five years to sentences 
for homicide convictions where domestic violence elements are proven. 
Councilman Waring expressed concern about the recommendation to increase 
sentencing by two to five years for homicide convictions involving domestic violence. He 
emphasized it does not prevent fatalities and questioned why the focus isn’t on earlier 
intervention. Councilman Waring noted tougher penalties for precursor crimes might

have greater impact and stressed the importance of preemptive measures to stop 
escalation before homicide occurs.  
Ms. Edwards acknowledged Councilman Waring’s concern and stated the team can 
include research on potential legislative changes earlier on in the process to have 
penalties that prevent homicides from occurring. 
Councilman Waring questioned whether tougher penalties for serious prior offenses 
such as strangulation or threatening with a weapon, could prevent tragedies. He also 
highlighted the impact on children who witness abuse, noting that exposure to violence 
at home can lead to abusive behavior later in life.  
Commander Martos agreed with Councilman Waring’s and noted that aggravated 
domestic violence charges already include enhanced penalties similar to DUI laws after 
repeat offenses. He added that his bureau is discussing what types of crimes, based on 
case data or anecdotal evidence, tend to escalate into more violent acts.  
Councilman Waring asked if the aggravated domestic violence charge imposes harsher 
penalties starting with the second offense and noted he may have misunderstood the 
earlier statement and wanted confirmation.  
Commander Martos replied he was trying to imply it works similar to a DUI conviction.  
Councilman Waring stated while DUI laws impose mandatory penalties even for first 
offenses, domestic violence should be treated with even greater severity. He questioned 
whether a zero-tolerance approach, with immediate consequences such as mandatory 
jail time for the first offense, would be more effective than waiting for repeat offenses. 
Councilman Waring emphasized domestic violence is different than DUI and suggested 
stronger initial penalties to send a clear message and prevent escalation. He asked if an 
individual has to serve 24 hours after being convicted with a DUI.  
Commander Martos replied that is correct.  
Councilman Waring asked if the team can revisit first-time convictions to prevent 
escalation.  
Commander Martos replied the team can look into that.  
Commander Martos stated that the third recommendation is to research options for 
amending statutes to include a domestic violence sentencing enhancement, as 
previously discussed. He then presented the fourth and final 2025 recommendation: to 
share the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team’s annual report with local 
government agencies, including the City of Phoenix and external partners, to promote 
collaboration and awareness.

Ms. Hall stated in addition to the DVFRT recommendations, the Human Services 
Department proposes three actions: provide the next review team with an overview of 
the City’s domestic violence services and programs, present the DVFRT report to key 
city commissions and task forces, and explore creating a Family Advocacy Center 
resource guide. She added next steps include requesting the City Manager to appoint 
members for the 2026 DVFRT, beginning the case review process, conducting 
interviews, and making recommendations. Ms. Hall noted that the 2025 
recommendations presented today will also be included in the 2026 report. 
Ms. Edwards thanked the members of DVFRT for their work and expertise.  
Chairman Robinson asked the members to stand and acknowledged them.  
Councilwoman Guardado thanked the team for the presentation and Councilman 
Waring for his leadership on the matter. She questioned if the information will be 
provided in Spanish as the team conducts outreach.  
Ms. Edwards replied awareness campaigns are done in English and Spanish.  
Councilwoman Guardado asked how closely the team is working with the school 
districts to reach high school students.  
Ms. Edwards answered the team works with school districts to provide information at 
resource fairs in both the Paint Phoenix Purple and Teen Dating Violence campaigns 
which occur in February.  
Councilwoman Guardado thanked the team for their hard work and shared she is 
looking forward to hearing more about the Family Advocacy Center.  
Councilman Waring noted this marks approximately 20 years of DVFRT reports, 
following legislation passed in 2005 and implemented in 2006. He stated the goal was 
to reduce fatalities by learning from experience and asked whether data exists to show 
progress toward that goal. He compared this to DUI tracking, where annual data is 
monitored, and requested similar information for domestic violence fatalities. 
Councilman Waring then asked whether the annual DVFRT reports have been used 
effectively over the past 20 years to reduce domestic violence incidents and fatalities. 
Ms. Edwards answered last year's recommendations on strangulation were not being 
tracked and there were points in the process that were not previously tracked but are 
now tracked. She noted protocols have been updated so strangulation incidents are 
now documented at multiple points; from police, fire, and CRT response through victim 
services. Ms. Edwards explained this ensures victims and families receive tailored 
support, including medical care from partners like Honor Health and assistance from 
Human Services staff. Ms. Edwards emphasized that this demonstrates how the review 
process can lead to meaningful system changes.

Commander Martos reported in 2024, there were 19 domestic violence-related 
homicides. He stated official numbers for 2025 are still pending, but preliminary data 
suggests a decrease in reported domestic violence cases compared to 2024. 
Commander Martos noted during the pandemic, domestic violence homicides were 
significantly higher and while it is difficult to measure direct impact, he expressed hope 
that the team’s efforts have contributed to prevention and support for victims.  
Councilman Waring asked Commander Martos to refresh his memory on how many 
total homicides in 2024.  
Commander Martos replied in 2024 there was about 146.  
Councilman Waring stressed the importance of early intervention before escalation, 
suggesting measurable goals such as cutting domestic violence fatalities in half over 
time. Councilman Waring acknowledged achieving zero fatalities may be unrealistic but 
stated that reducing the number significantly would be an achievable goal with 
sustained effort. 
Chairman Robinson referred to slide six and asked if the individuals who were 
victimized by an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend were high schoolers or teenagers.  
Commander Martos stated he does not have that information readily available but he 
can go retrieve that information.  
Chairman Robinson suggested maybe there needs to be a more concerted effort on the 
school’s part to make better awareness of domestic violence.  
Chairman Robinson referred to slide 17 which shares the case and asked if the Police 
Department had been to the address or spoke to the couple before the incident became 
fatal.  
Ms. Hall replied to her recollection there had been no police interaction or priors, but  
the perpetrator had received counselling through the military and recovery for 
alcoholism. She added the couple had gone to therapy once, but the perpetrator felt the 
therapist was favoring the wife because she is a female. Ms. Hall acknowledged there 
were language barriers in finding alternative therapists.  
Chairman Robinson referred to slide 16 and asked for clarification on what is 
considered near fatal and if it requires hospitalization.  
Commander Martos explained charging decisions often influence case outcomes and 
noted while some offenders may intend for a situation to end in homicide, it is often 
easier to charge aggravated assault rather than attempted homicide because the legal 
threshold for aggravated assault is lower. He stated charging practices can impact how 
cases are classified and addressed.

Councilwoman O’Brien shared her appreciation of the team working with the schools to 
get the information out and encouraged the team to find creative ways to reach young 
people through partnerships with youth organizations, social media, and community 
events rather than relying solely on schools due to heavy workload. She shared her 
experience of dating an abuser in college and explained that she only recognized the 
abuse after seeing a flyer in a doctor’s office. Councilwoman O’Brien stressed the need 
for broader outreach and education.  
Chairman Robinson thanked the team for their hard work.  
3. Police HEAT Unit Overview 
Police Chief Matthew Giordano thanked the chairman and subcommittee members and 
stated the team will highlight the work of the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) 
squad. He shared he was once part of an undercover vice team in the Organized Crime 
Bureau and comparing those investigations to what we’re doing today, the progress and 
impact we’ve made across the city is truly impressive. 
Commander Julie Egea highlighted the HEAT squad investigates and disrupts 
trafficking and related exploitation, protects victims, and enforces laws through proactive 
operations, community engagement, and interagency collaboration. She explained the 
unit is staffed with two sergeants, nine detectives, and three civilians: an analyst, a 
civilian investigator, and a liquor liaison. Commander Egea emphasized the squad’s 
core functions which include: targeting human and sex traffickers, investigating child 
and adult sex trafficking, conducting undercover operations, enforcing prostitution and 
sexually oriented business laws, and reducing demand through commercial sex buyer 
enforcement. She added the unit also rescues victims and connects them to services.  
Commander Egea highlighted 2025 results along the 27 Avenue corridor which includes 
27 traffickers arrested, 52 juveniles recovered, 394 arrests from operations, 21 
customer apprehension operations resulting in 123 arrests, and 9 hotel outreach 
operations contacting 79 individuals who were offered services. She announced the 
partnership with Grand Canyon University (GCU) to integrate GCU technology with the 
Cactus Park Real-Time Crime Center and conduct joint prostitution operations. She 
shared the partnership has increased enforcement near campus and the 27 
Avenue/Indian School corridor.  
Police Lieutenant Chris Parese stated a lot of the work done over the last couple of 
years involves numerous operations and significant data. He emphasized on major case 
the Royal Inn Hotel investigation, which was a collaborative effort between the FBI and 
the Heat Unit. Lieutenant Parese explained that his team handled much of the 
undercover work, ultimately leading to the shutdown of the hotel, which had essentially 
operated as a brothel. He noted that many neighborhood complaints originated from 
Palver Street, and since the operation, visible activity in that area has significantly 
decreased, though some activity may have shifted elsewhere.

Lieutenant Parese shared the unit it seized 1.2 million dollars and 4.5 million dollars in 
commercial and residential property through collective surveillance, undercover deals, 
and numerous arrests. He clarified the individuals involved no longer own these 
properties and announced that future plans include the demolition of the hotel.  
Ms. Edwards shared the Human Services Department’s Victim Services Division 
provides trauma-informed support to individuals who have been victims of human 
trafficking including assistance with crisis intervention, safety planning, victim’s rights, 
navigation through law enforcement and court systems, emergency shelter and 
housing, orders of protection, and addressing basic needs disrupted by victimization. 
She recalled in 2025, HSD served nearly 300 clients who were victims of human 
trafficking, including prostituted individuals with a total of 1,485 unique services provided 
to the clients. Ms. Edwards added HSD’s mobile victim advocate, focused on human 
trafficking, partnered with the Phoenix Police Department on 40 separate occasions, 
including street enforcement and hotel outreach, to connect victims of trafficking and 
prostitution to essential services. She shared staff also visited the county’s intake, 
transfer, and release facility at the county jail 10 times throughout 2025 to engage 
victims arrested during street operations the previous night.  
Ms. Edwards announced HSD leads the City’s efforts to raise awareness about human 
trafficking among both the community and city staff which is led and chaired by 
Councilman Waring through the Human Trafficking Task Force. She also announced 
the City earned the Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) designation 
in February 2025 from the Arizona Anti-Human Trafficking Network followed by training 
completed by over 90 percent of City staff.  
Chairman Robinson asked Grand Canyon University (GCU) Police Chief Mark Heimall 
to share what he has been seeing in his area and how the partnership has been going.  
Chief Heimall stated Lieutenant Parese and his team have been exceptional in their 
service, collaboration, and intelligence sharing. He acknowledged the team has also 
welcomed innovative ideas on potential solutions to address the issue.  
Councilman Waring acknowledged Lieutenant Parese has done a fantastic job 
Councilman Waring stated that people convicted of these crimes deserve their 
punishments and expressed that he was very glad sentences tend to be heightened. He 
praised the dedication and care of the unit’s members, noting that they clearly 
understand the importance of their work and approach it with a robustness he 
personally appreciates. He concluded by thanking them for their efforts. 
Councilwoman Guardado thanked the team for their hard work and thanked Senator 
Flavio Bravo for his hard work at the State level. She asked Chief Giordano if staff is 
experiencing backlogs, delayed timelines, or difficulty meeting expectations for 
constraints.

Chief Giordano replied staffing issues and resource allocation remain ongoing 
challenges. He stated that timelines could always be adjusted with more manpower. He 
reflected on his own time working in the unit, noting it was completely different, and 
suggested that there are things that can be done differently now. He explained that they 
had a brief conversation last week and that the lieutenant has creative ideas, such as 
temporarily moving staff from patrol for short stints, both to learn the issues and 
techniques and to act as a force multiplier. Chief Giordano confirmed that the unit 
struggles with caseload and workload and responded to the question about staffing 
needs by stating that the team believes a fully staffed unit would include one sergeant 
and eight detectives for street investigations, plus one sergeant and eight detectives for 
background and intel work; about 16 personnel with two sergeants. 
Councilwoman Guardado asked what are the consequences of the unit being stretched 
too thin due to case outcomes, response times, staff burnout, or retention.  
Chief Giordano replied stated that the biggest hindrance for the unit is the inability to 
help as many victims as they could if they were fully staffed and had more personnel. 
He acknowledged that, despite this limitation, the team does a phenomenal job 
assisting members of the community but emphasized the desire to do more.  
Councilwoman Guardado asked if there are tests and cases being delayed or 
deprioritized due to limited staffing.  
Chief Matthew Giordano stated, as with anything involving finite resources, priorities 
must be set. He explained that the team focuses on the most severe cases and places 
those at the top of the list.  
Councilwoman Guardado asked if staff compared HEAT unit staffing levels to peer 
cities.  
Chief Giordano stated staff has not looked at peer staffing models around the country 
but shared this is something staff can do.  
Councilwoman Guardado requested those staffing models be looked into and discussed 
at the next briefing. 
Councilwoman Guardado asked what does a well-resourced unit typically look like for a 
city of Phoenix's size and demand. 
Chief Giordano replied that would be a part of the same research done on the previous 
question.  
Councilwoman Guardado asked Lieutenant Parese how long the Royal Inn investigation 
took from beginning to end. 
Lieutenant Parese replied about two years.

Councilwoman Guardado asked if it would have taken less time if the department had 
more resources. 
Lieutenant Parese answered it would not have taken less time due to the nature of the 
investigation.  
Councilwoman Guardado stated she supports the mission of the HEAT Unit and 
acknowledged the significant workload the unit has taken on. Councilwoman Guardado 
expressed gratitude to GCU for partnering with the City and acknowledged the many 
efforts from the Human Services Department, as well as support from the State. She 
requested another HEAT update that includes staffing and budget recommendations to 
increase levels and implement relevant best practices. She noted that these 
improvements should provide clear timelines for achieving objectives. 
Chairman Robinson thanked the unit for their hard work.  
5. Community Assistance Program (CAP) Expansion Implementation Report 
Community Assistance Program Administrator DC Ernst presented the first class of 
2026, noting that the slide displayed the current group. She stated that another 
recruitment closed on February 2, with over 170 applications submitted, and expressed 
anticipation in reviewing those applications as the program works toward achieving 10 
crisis response teams and nine behavioral health teams. Ms. Ernst reported that the 
program has reached its goal of nine behavioral health units in service, available 24/7 
and dispatched through the 911 system. She emphasized ongoing collaboration with 
Alexandra Edwards from Police Communications to ensure proper call transfers. 
Alexandra Edwards shared on December 15, 2025, 911 operators began asking a new 
triage question: “Do you need police, fire, or behavioral health?” She explained that the 
goal is to identify at the start of the call whether the caller needs police, fire, behavioral 
health services, or a combination of those. Ms. Edwards noted that this additional 
question provides more insight into what is occurring and helps operators triage calls to 
ensure the right services are dispatched from the beginning. She reported that since 
implementing the new question, there has been a significant increase in calls directed to 
behavioral health units. Comparing the first eight months of 2024 to the same period in 
2025, there was a 98 percent increase in call volume. She highlighted that the 701 calls 
transferred in December 2025 represent the highest number recorded since the call 
transfer procedures were established. This milestone demonstrates the continued 
growth and utilization of the system and the increasing demand for coordinated 
behavioral health response. Ms. Edwards concluded by noting the effectiveness of the 
assessment process and the impact of adding the additional question, as well as the 
ongoing partnership between Phoenix PD 911, the behavioral health team, and fire 
services. 
Ms. Ernst presented that not only has there been an increase in call volume transferred 
to behavioral health units, but actual calls for service have also risen, reaching a

milestone of over 1,000 calls in one month. She reported that when comparing total 
calls in 2024 to 2025, there was a 96 percent increase in calls for behavioral health 
units. Ms. Ernst explained that December’s data shows whether responses were 
handled as a singular unit or in a co-response model, noting that 79 percent of calls 
were responded to as a singular unit. She added that crisis response units are still 
hiring, currently at 60 percent of the goal of 10 units. However, due to reallocation of 
shifts in January 2026, the program now provides 24/7 coverage for crisis response 
units citywide. She noted that call volumes for crisis response teams have remained 
consistent over the past three years, with December recording 481 calls for service. 
Despite the increase in behavioral health calls, average response times have remained 
under 25 minutes, with behavioral health units responding in 20 minutes in December. 
She highlighted a map illustrating current and future locations.  
Councilwoman O’Brien stated that she wanted to thank everyone for their hard work 
and congratulated them on the successes they have achieved and will continue to 
achieve. She acknowledged the number of calls being handled is remarkable. 
Councilwoman O’Brien requested that staff keep an eye on call volume and ensure the 
council is alerted about the impact on staff and response times, emphasizing the 
importance of taking care of employees while serving citizens. 
Chairman Robinson asked Ms. Edwards when operators ask if a caller needs police, 
fire, or behavioral health, what responses are typically received. Chairman Robinson 
inquired if she could share what callers are telling operators and how those responses 
guide the decision-making process for dispatching services.  
Ms. Edwards explained that some members of the community understand what the term 
behavioral health means and can answer the question appropriately, indicating the call 
is tied to a behavioral health situation. She noted that others are unsure of the term, 
emphasizing that continuing education around behavioral health is important for 
everyone. Ms. Edwards clarified that if callers do not answer the question or are unsure, 
operators use a set of four additional questions during the call to determine whether it 
needs to be transferred to behavioral health or has a behavioral health component.  
Chairman Robinson thanked the team for the presentation.  
INFORMATION ONLY (ITEMS 6-7 varies) 
6. Phoenix Fire Department Staffing and Response Time Report  
Information only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
7. Phoenix Police Department Recruitment, Hiring, and Attrition Update  
Information only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC

Elizabeth Venable stated that there is a need to see services fully integrated into law 
enforcement rather than siloed. She observed that there has been more of a one-size-
fits-all approach but emphasized that better outcomes occur when different approaches 
are combined. Ms. Venable reiterated the importance of keeping shelters open and 
investing more into those services and public safety.  
 
Dorian Vrenden stated that police should not escort or assist Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE), as doing so decreases the promised and projected coverage of city 
assistance that officers are jurisdictionally obligated to provide. He explained that less 
coverage results in either broken promises to the community or overextension of 
officers and budgets not approved by that community. Mr. Vrenden highlighted the 
recent purchase of the Surprise Warehouse by the Department of Homeland Security 
(DHS) for 70 million in cash, noting that this demonstrates DHS has its own budget and 
does not need local officer assistance.  
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
Councilwoman O’Brien stated that in May, when the school resource officer agreements 
come forward relative to the grant application, she would like the presentation to include 
how the city will handle rehiring retired officers to help fill SRO positions. She noted that 
there was recently a conference related to school safety where all districts were 
encouraged to request SROs. Councilwoman O’Brien emphasized the need to ensure 
the city is prepared to handle these requests as best as possible, as she anticipates 
they will significantly increase.  
 
Ms. Bays replied, staff are planning to include this information.  
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairman Robinson adjourned the meeting at 12:23 p.m.  
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Taniya Williams  
Management Fellow