Phoenix Police Department commanders briefed the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on Jan. 7 about recruitment gains and ongoing staffing challenges.

Commander William Jo and Commander Leif Myers described a substantial uptick in applicants and recruits in 2025. Jo said the department reported 2,493 filled sworn positions and 144 recruits (2,637 filled positions total as of Oct. 2025) and set a target of 3,125 sworn officers. The presentation highlighted increases in applications (for example, Jan. 2025: 518 applicants vs. 234 in the prior year) and a 62% increase in female applicants during 2025.

Myers described academy and field training updates, reporting four active academy classes and improved retention in field training (91% this year versus about 71–72% last year). He said the department has modified academy formats and family outreach to reduce early dropouts and that recruits dismissed for proficiency or safety concerns are offered help to transition to other city employment where feasible.

Council members pushed back on framing the numbers as straightforward progress. Councilman Waring noted the city still has fewer sworn officers than in 2022 and asked for realistic framing and additional data. The chief acknowledged losses and said leaders are pursuing a mindset shift — improving candidate experience, instituting exit interviews, and offering more direct engagement with officers to improve morale and retention.

Several requests for follow-up data were made: Vice Mayor O’Brien asked the department to report how many officers leave without using DROP or before completing DROP eligibility; council members asked for projected separations and for more staffing in Employment Services and background investigators to speed processing.

Public comment reinforced the data requests: Annie Ender asked the city to publish the number of available sworn officers by precinct, squad and shift and to provide response‑time data by precinct and council district to increase transparency about coverage.

Next steps: presenters said they would provide additional separation and pipeline data on request, continue to expand targeted recruitment (including the '30 by 30' initiative to increase women officers), and explore staffing increases in Employment Services where financially possible.