Phoenix Police Department

Phoenix Police Department
Abbreviation	PHXPD
Patch of the Phoenix Police Department
Badge of the Phoenix Police Department
Motto	To Ensure the Safety and Security for Each Person in our Community
Agency overview
Formed	1881
Preceding agency	Phoenix City Marshals
Employees	3,986 (2012)
Annual budget	$577 million
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	City of Phoenix in the state of Arizona, USA
Map of Phoenix Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size	516 sq mi (1,340 km2).
Population	1.6 million
Legal jurisdiction	City of Phoenix
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Officers	2,979 (2012)
Agency executive	Jeri Williams, Chief of Police
Divisions	6 Support Services Division Patrol Division Management Services Division Strategic Services Division Reserve Division Investigations Division
Bureaus	23 Fiscal Management Bureau Planning and Research Bureau Professional Standards Bureau Employment Services Bureau Training Bureau Airport Bureau Homeland Defense Bureau Transit Bureau Major Offender Bureau Traffic Bureau Community Relations Bureau Tactical Support Bureau Drug Enforcement Bureau Family Investigations Bureau Property Crimes Bureau Public Affairs Bureau Violent Crimes Bureau Communications Bureau Information Technology Bureau Laboratory Services Bureau Records and Identifications Bureau Property Management Bureau Reserve Bureau
Facilities
Precincts	8 200 - Black Mountain Precinct 300 - Estrella Mountain Precinct 400 - South Mountain Precinct 500 - Central City Precinct 600 - Desert Horizon Precinct 700 - Mountain View Precinct 800 - Maryvale Precinct 900 - Cactus Park Precinct
Helicopters	9
Airplanes	3
Website
http://phoenix.gov/POLICE/
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Phoenix Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Today, the Phoenix Police Department comprises more than 2,900 officers and more than 1,000 support personnel. The department serves a population of more than 1.6 million and patrol almost 516 square miles (1,340 km²) of the sixth largest city in the United States.

Phoenix was incorporated as a city on February 5, 1881. Law enforcement was handled by Phoenix city marshals and later by Phoenix police officers. Henry Garfias, the first city marshal, was elected by residents in 1881 in the first elections of the newly incorporated city. For six years, he served as the primary law enforcement officer.

In the early 1900s, the Phoenix Police Department used Old Nelly, the horse, to pull the patrol wagon for officers. Most patrolling, however, was done on foot. The city at this time was only 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) with a population of 11,134 people. Call boxes were used to notify an officer that headquarters wanted him. These were supplemented by a system of horns and flashing lights.

The first Phoenix police officer to be killed in the line of duty in Phoenix occurred on February 5, 1925. Officer Haze Burch was shot and killed by two brothers on the run from authorities. The men were later arrested when they were found hiding at the Tempe Buttes.

In 1929, patrolmen worked six days a week and were paid $100 a month. The police department moved into the west section of the new city-county building at 17 South 2nd Avenue. The building included jail cells on the top two floors. In 1933, Ruth Meicher joined the police department as the first female jail matron. The city at this time was only 6.4 square miles (17 km²), with a population of 48,200. In the year prior, the first police radio system in Arizona was installed for the department with the call letters KGZJ.

The department reorganized in 1950 with four divisions, Traffic, Detectives, Patrol and Service Divisions. Officers worked 44 hours per week for $288 per month. In 1974, the Air patrol unit was established initially consisting of one helicopter. A few months later, a fixed wing aircraft and two additional helicopters were added.

In 2008, the department formed the Block Watch program, which is a partnership between citizens and the police department to help deter youth from crime. The department also runs a similar program under the name G.A.I.N. which stands for Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods.