Phoenix Police report rising applications but staffing still below budget; recruitment changes target bottlenecks
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Summary
Police commanders told the subcommittee that applications increased in late 2024 and early 2025 and that process changes (centralized application, increased outreach) improved academy class sizes. The department remains below budgeted sworn levels and projected recovery depends on sustained hiring cadence and retention.
Phoenix Police commanders told the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on Feb. 5 that the department saw a spike in applications late in 2024 and in January 2025 after procedural changes, but that overall sworn staffing remained below the department’s budgeted target.
Why it matters: Officer staffing levels affect patrol coverage, response times and the department’s ability to staff specialty units. Council members pressed commanders for realistic projections and asked how retention and academy attrition could affect near-term field strength.
Key numbers and recent changes Commanders reported the department was staffed at 2,506 sworn officers as of Jan. 1, 2025, with a fiscal authorized target of 3,125. In 2024 the department received 3,027 applications (up from 2,571 in 2023) and reported 167 hires (recruits, laterals and reinstatements) for the year. Commanders said a process change in August 2024 — directing applicants to apply directly to joinphxpd.com instead of beginning an application only with the state AZPOST portal — allowed the department to capture applicant information earlier and communicate more quickly, improving throughput.
Recruiting and training pipeline Commanders said academy class sizes rose steadily in 2024 after earlier dips and that multiple classes were active in early 2025; they reported 100 recruits on campus at the time of the presentation. Phoenix’s academy and field-training retention rates were reported above state averages: Phoenix showed 73%–80% retention figures across recent classes (higher than AZPOST averages the presenters cited). Commanders also highlighted conversion of academy recruits who separate from sworn tracks into police professional-staff roles (911 operators, detention officers, police assistants) as a retention strategy to keep people in the department workforce.
Attrition and projections The department recorded 204 separations in 2024, and the largest share of separations continue to be officers with 20 or more years of service. Budget and research projected that if the department meets a hiring goal of 35 new hires every two months and attrition follows recent trends, the authorized field count could reach about 2,603 by December 2027 (a net gain from the Jan. 1, 2025 count). Commanders described that projection as one scenario and emphasized it depends on meeting sustained hiring targets and maintaining retention through academy and field training.
Council questions and next steps Council members asked for two projection scenarios: a best-case (hiring goal met) and a more conservative projection that accounts for the recent three-year average retention through FTO and academy attrition. Vice Mayor O’Brien and others asked for breakdowns of AZPOST disqualifiers and whether the department tracks the specific reasons applicants drop out (for instance, prior drug use or undisclosed arrests); commanders said they are working to produce more granular breakdowns from their case-management systems. A council request was made for a clear “realistic projection” as well as the department goal projection so oversight can compare both scenarios.
Ending note Commanders said improvements to applicant communication and targeted community recruitment have increased the pipeline; they asked the council to monitor retention and academy conversion and to continue supporting recruitment events and cross-department hiring collaborations.
