Phoenix police roll out First Amendment facilitation policy and detail protest response tiers, staffing

The Phoenix Police Department updated the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on March 5 about a new First Amendment facilitation and management policy and its protest response structure, saying the public-facing policy will be published in April 2025.

The department presented a three-tier model for demonstrations and civil disturbances and outlined staffing for its Public Safety Response Team (PSRT), saying the core downtown operations unit includes 61 full-time members and about 530 collateral-duty officers across precincts. Chief Orrender said the department used national best practices and Department of Justice recommendations while drafting the policy and solicited more than 60 public comments during development.

The new policy, identified in the presentation as Operations Order 1.1, is intended to provide guidance on permitting, coordination among city departments and the department’s responsibilities for both planned and unplanned First Amendment events. “The first amendment facilitation management policy will also provide the public with information on how to obtain any necessary permits through the various city departments such as streets, fire, parks,…