Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Surprise unveils police strategic plan, emphasizes recruitment, wellness and school safety
Summary
The Surprise Police Department presented a strategic plan aligning patrol, investigations and training with city priorities, highlighted a popular recruitment program (SPEED) that produced dozens of hires in 2025, and outlined school-safety threat assessments and a public-safety master plan and precinct design.
The Surprise Police Department presented a multi-part strategic plan to the City Council on Jan. 20, emphasizing recruitment, training, employee wellness and school safety.
Chief (name given in the transcript as the police chief) said the plan ties department work to council priorities and outlined core services including patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, community engagement and specialized support. Commander Mike Robbins described the department as a full-service operation whose patrol operations remain the foundation of day-to-day work.
Ryan McNeil, who supervises recruitment, said the department has shortened hiring timelines through targeted recruitment and lateral hires and expects recruitment-plus-training to take roughly a year from initial contact to street-ready status. "We're focusing on candidates who bring strong training, relevant experience, and a commitment to community-oriented policing," McNeil said.
Bridal Daniel, hiring and recruitment coordinator, reviewed the SPEED (Surprise Police Education and Development) program and said 798 participants attended SPEED in 2025 and 616 hires resulted from department recruitment channels in that period; she also said October saw one of the department's largest academy classes, including several female recruits. "We're preparing a prep-and-recruitment workshop series this spring," Bridal said.
Presenters also emphasized wellness and retention work. A department lieutenant described expanded employee assistance programs, clinical partnerships and new wellness modalities (infrared, cryotherapy and other programs) aimed at reducing injuries, sick time and turnover.
On school safety, staff said Surprise covers about 50 schools in its footprint; 15 have dedicated school resource officers and seven use an off-duty school-safety officer program funded through an Arizona Department of Education grant. The police department offers threat and vulnerability assessments to schools at no cost.
The department outlined a public-safety master plan due in 2026 and a police precinct design scheduled for permit and construction steps with an estimated completion in 2027. Officials said continued collaboration with regional, state and federal partners will drive joint training and emergency preparedness.
Council members thanked presenters and raised staffing and budget priorities going into the city's budget discussions; several members said recruitment, retention and wellness should be priorities as the city grows. The presentation concluded with council members reiterating support for resourcing the department as Surprise continues to expand.
The council did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said follow-up materials and the public-safety master plan will be delivered to the council when available.
