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Police say applications doubled and academy capacity will increase; laterals and part‑time law enforcement new focus
Summary
The Phoenix Police Department reported a sharp increase in applications year‑to‑date and announced an additional academy class and recruitment initiatives, and city officials highlighted new state legislation enabling part‑time officer positions to address staffing retention.
Phoenix Police reported Wednesday that recruit applications have doubled compared with last year and that the department will add an eighth academy class this year to accelerate training and bring more officers onto the street.
Commander Sarah Garza credited community recruitment events, live social‑media sessions, an employee referral program and a new marketing campaign for the increase in applicants. Garza said the department expects a new academy class (46 recruits) to begin in July and that adding an eighth class will allow an estimated 40 more recruits to be trained this year and shorten the hiring cycle from eight weeks to six.
Garza said a notable portion of hires are laterals and reinstatements; lateral candidates often arrive with supervisory experience and reduce training time in the field. The department reported modest increases in female applicants and laterals and said the Sweat preparatory program has reduced physical‑fitness test (POPAT) failures for new recruits.
Council and staff also discussed recently enacted state legislation, Senate Bill 1287, which will permit part‑time sworn positions for officers starting July 2026. Vice Mayor Anne O’Brien and staff described the law as a retention tool allowing experienced officers to continue service part time when caregiving or other family needs would otherwise force them to leave the job.
Garza said the department is tracking attrition and performs exit interviews; the department reported it recycles about a third of contract dismissals and that roughly two‑thirds of those returnees eventually succeed when retrained.
No formal action was taken; staff said recruiting and academy operations will continue and the department will monitor academy and FTO attrition metrics.
