City Of Phoenix: Introducing The PHX Blue Crew

Phoenix AZ

07 June, 2021

4:49 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Phoenix: June 6, 2021 5:00 PM The PHX Blue Crew is a group of current, retired, sworn, and civilian Phoenix Police employees, volunteering in our community.  "It allows our people to connect with each other," Reserve Sgt. Tommy Thompson said of the PHX Blue Crew. "It allows our people to connect with the community. And when you're serving others, there's nothing better than that. That's what the Blue Crew is all about."  The PHX Blue Crew is out volunteering ​​regularly at events like Habitat for Humanity, St. Mary's Food Bank, and St. Vincent de Paul.  "Today, we are helping Habitat for Humanity build a house for a very deserving couple in the community," Hilary Werner, a forensic scientist in the Phoenix Police Department Crime Lab, said. During the work week, Werner compares latent prints that come in from crime scenes. During her weekend, she's comparing blueprints for a soon-to-be home. "I think it builds a sense of trust with the community," Werner said of the PHX Blue Crew. "It gets members from the Phoenix Police Department out, whether they be sworn, or civilian members, out to the community to show them that we really are behind them, and that we're for them." Out on the Habitat for Humanity work site, there are crime lab scientists like Werner, plus officers, and 911 dispatchers. Andrea Favela is a communications operator with Phoenix. Everyday, she takes calls from people often in the worst moments of their lives. She said getting out to events like this on the weekend puts a face to the voice on the other end of that call. "I think it helps them realize we're not just on the phone and just not the people we talk to when they're super stressed, and not in a really great mood," Favela said of 911 callers. "They can see that 'oh, that's the lady I could have talked to on the phone. Oh, it's a real person, not a robot.'" Though the PHX Blue Crew officially launched this year, community service is nothing new for Phoenix Police employees. Reserve Sgt. Thompson said this program cuts right to the heart of the department. "It's our police family, reaching out with our community partners, to help make a difference in our community," Sgt. Thompson said. "That's what we're all about. That's the Blue Crew." Related Social Media Hashtags and Handles: PhoenixPolice PHXBlueCrew Keywords: Phoenix Police, PHX Blue Crew This press release was produced by City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author's own.