Phoenix PD Wants To Curb Soaring Crime Rate By Hiring More Female Officers

January 21, 2023 Terri Jo Neff
Phoenix Police

As the violent crime rate in the City of Phoenix continues to soar, officials often point to the high number of vacant police officer positions as a major problem.

Chief Michael Sullivan has not produced a plan for tackling the immediate understaffing issue. But he agreed earlier this month to participate in the 30 x 30 Pledge toward having women represent at least 30 percent of the department’s recruits by 2030.

Phoenix PD promotes itself as Arizona’s “highest paying law enforcement agency,” with a starting annual salary of more than $68,000 and a maximum base salary before language bonuses, shift differential pay, and overtime in excess of $105,000. Less than 15 percent of the department’s sworn officers are women.

The 30 x 30 Pledge is an initiative sponsored by the Policing Project of the NYU School of Law and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives. It is premised on the belief that an under-representation of women in policing jobs undermines public safety, and if shown they can be successful as a police officer then more women will seek out those jobs.

“It is critical that participating agencies focus on increasing the representation of all women,” according to the group’s website. “They must account for the diverse experiences of women of all backgrounds and life experiences to better promote the creation of a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone.”

The pledge requires Chief Michael Sullivan and his command staff to:

  • Take measures to increase the representation of women in all ranks of law enforcement,
  • Ensure that policies and procedures are free of all bias,
  • Promote equitable hiring, retention, and promotion of women officers, and
  • Ensure their culture is inclusive, respectful, and supportive of women in all ranks and roles of law enforcement.

    • In addition, Phoenix PD must report on the agency’s efforts to identify and address the obstacles that women officers face in recruitment and throughout their careers at the department.

    But former Phoenix City Council staffer Sam Stone questions whether top police officials are too focused on gender rates and not focused enough on addressing the vacancy rate of officers.

    Stone, who faces off with retired Phoenix PD officer Kevin Robinson in a March runoff election to represent District 6, recently told KFYI’s James T. Harris the public does not care about the gender makeup of the police department.

    “There is absolutely no one outside of the political class who spends one second worrying about the gender of the cop who shows up when they’re in trouble,” Stone said. “They’re just worried about having a cop to show up.”

    While agreeing it would “be fantastic” if women represent 30 percent of all police recruits, Stone told Harris the emphasis of recruitment should be about a candidate’s “fitness to do the job” instead of their gender, race, or ideology.

    “When you put those kind of goals out there what you’re doing is making it harder to do the recruitment you need to do,” Stone said. “Everything you do in policing should be about effective policing. And that means simply accepting and getting the best candidates into your academy that you can.”