Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams Reflects On 2020, Looks Ahead To 2021

Phoenix AZ

10 January, 2021

10:16 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Phoenix: January 8, 2021 Twelve months ago, we began a new year with optimism. A year later, 2020 is behind us, marked as one of the most unique years in modern history. The challenges of a global pandemic, rising domestic violence and homicide rates in cities across the country, and social unrest surrounding race, policing, and politics have impacted our country and our community. I know from experience it is through challenges that we grow and become better. As the Chief of the Phoenix Police Department, I am confident we completed 2020 a better department. We have implemented substantial changes that improve our ability to meet community expectations to serve, protect, and reduce crime in Phoenix while treating community members with dignity and respect. CRIME TRENDS Our department had some 825,000 interactions with the public in 2020. Our Communications Bureau answered more than 2 million calls for service. Thefts, burglaries, and rapes are all down. After a decade of lower murder rates, Phoenix mirrored a national trend, with the number of people killed at the hands of another reaching numbers more like what our city experienced in the early 2000's. Despite the increase, our Homicide Unit is working hard to find justice for these victims, with a clearance rate nearly 10% higher than the national average. Early in the year when we saw a trend of increasing domestic violence, our department teamed up with other City of Phoenix and community resources along with media partners to launch the Domestic Violence Help! campaign. This multi-pronged approach helped raise awareness and provide resources to potential victims. LINE OF DUTY DEATH A call for service regarding a domestic dispute among roommates led to tragedy for our department. On Sunday afternoon, March 29, Commander Greg Carnicle responded to a north Phoenix home where a man refused to leave when his roommates tried to evict him. The highly decorated Commander led a team of officers up the stairs to talk with the man. Instead, the man pulled out a gun, shooting and killing Commander Carnicle and injuring Officers Marissa Dowhan and Alicia Hubert. Greg and I grew up through the department together over three decades. I respected him as a man of faith, who was committed to his wife, their four children and his growing group of grandchildren. Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions limited traditional services for Commander Carnicle, but tributes honoring the 31-year veteran of the force poured in from across the country on social media. COVID-19 COVID-19 impacted many aspects of policing. After a series of local and state Executive Orders, we initiated an Incident Management Team to address solutions to the pandemic. With a focus on education, officers interacted with the public, sharing important health and safety information regarding the virus. At that same time, we looked for additional ways we could support the community. This included the detailed process of certifying our Crime Lab to provide support for COVID-19 testing. The Phoenix Crime Lab is the only crime lab in the country to provide this community service. OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS & POLICE REFORM Protecting human life and ensuring safety is at the core of effective policing. When an officer uses lethal force to protect themselves or others, it has deep impact on loved ones of the suspect, the involved officers and the larger community. Phoenix residents rightfully expect officers to be faithful guardians of public safety and only use force as a last resort. This community expectation was reinforced after the untimely death of George Floyd where Phoenix was one of more than 2,000 cities nationwide with demonstrations calling for police reform. These demonstrations were largely peaceful, and I appreciate the commitment of our Community Engagement Bureau, our Central City Precinct and the many, many officers who assisted. I was able to speak directly with and hear the concerns of organizers. They raised issues laid out in the 8 Can't Wait campaign, designed to reduce violent encounters between police and the public. This led to an evaluation of several of our policies to reflect the high expectation we have of our sworn and civilian employees. These changes include banning neck restraints such as the carotid control technique and instead focusing on compassionate restraint training for all officers. The Duty to Intervene policy now makes it clear that we expect all employees to step in and stop what they know to be excessive force by a fellow employee. We strengthened the wording to make it clear shooting at moving vehicles is only an option in extreme, life-threatening circumstances. We also updated our policy to render aid, outlining the expectation that officers provide first aid until skilled medical personnel arrive. LOOKING AHEAD There is still more to be done, not only within the police department but through a coordinated effort across the community. Nowhere is this more evident than the need for mental and behavior health services. Despite the vital role police play as first responders, we are not always the appropriate response to a 911 call for service. Rethinking who responds to mental health, homelessness and domestic violence calls will strengthen our community. Internally, we've launched a new initiative to build a team of employees focused on the department mission to constantly and continuously improve both as an organization and as individual employees. I organized the Center for Continuous Improvement (CCI) with 5 key focus areas: operation & policy management, accountability, technology & transparency, messaging and employee wellness & development. This group is laser focused on evaluating best practices so the Phoenix Police Department can always be moving forward. The CCI will also evaluate recommendations from national organizations such as the National Police Foundation and the US Conference of Mayors. During the nationwide demonstrations calling for police reform, I participated on the US Conference of Mayors Committee on Police Reform and Racial Justice. We came up with multiple recommendations to reimagine policing. Many we already do. Some still need work. These include things like creating a use of force data dashboard, evaluating tactics to ensure we are impartial in our policing, and building up our community policing programs. Phoenix is a fast-growing city, attracting people who want to live, work and play in a safe environment. I know under the leadership of Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council, 2021 will be a year where the Phoenix Police Department will thrive in our mission to support the safety and security of all residents and visitors. This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author's own.