Phoenix wants to send more police assistants – not police officers – to non-emergency calls

Jasmine Spearing-Bowen/Cronkite News

Phoenix Police Motorcycles

In order to operate more efficiently and effectively, the Phoenix Police Department is looking for ways to handle certain calls differently.

In 2023, Phoenix received 1.8 million calls to 911 and its non-emergency number, about a third of which involved dispatching police officers or other departments. After analyzing the data and working with Arizona State University, Police Commander Julie Egea said they would recommend hiring more assistants to respond to calls such as abandoned vehicles, parking complaints and accidents where no one was injured.

“There are two to four police assistants per district who work in different shifts and respond specifically to radio traffic. The other PAs in the districts are assigned other tasks, such as acting as police equipment coordinators,” Egea recently told council members.

She said Phoenix has assigned 43 police assistants to assist with patrols. The department has 2,550 police officers, about 600 fewer than planned.

“The better we treat our employees, the better they treat the citizens here,” said Executive Assistant Chief Derek Elmore. “So we’re paying attention to all areas and also trying to reduce the number of calls they have to take. If the call doesn’t require ID, we’re looking at alternative sources to make sure we can provide people with the service they need.”

When it comes to found or abandoned property, the department said if it involves weapons, drugs or drug paraphernalia, a police response under oath is required, while assistants can respond to other property

Egea said they had considered allowing citizens to turn in lost property, but “currently we have limited staff in most of our precincts, so we cannot support this in terms of staffing.”

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