Phoenix Police Department
Encyclopedia
The Phoenix Police Department is the law enforcement agency
responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona
.
Today, the Phoenix Police Department comprises more than 3,500 officers and 700 support personnel who protect a population of more than 1.6 million and patrol almost 516 square miles (1,336.4 km²) of the sixth largest city in the United States
.
s and later by Phoenix police officer
s. Henry Garfias, the first city marshal, was elected by residents in 1881 in the first elections of the newly incorporated city. For six years, he served as the primary law enforcement officer.
In the early 1900s, the Phoenix Police Department used Old Nelly, the horse, to pull the patrol wagon for officers. Most patrolling, however, was done on foot. The city at this time was only 3.1 square miles (8 km²) with a population of 11,134 people. Call boxes were used to notify an officer that headquarters wanted him. These were supplemented by a system of horns and flashing lights.
The first Phoenix police officer killed in the line of duty in Phoenix occurred on February 5, 1925. Officer Haze Burch was shot and killed by two brothers on the run from authorities. The men were later arrested when they were found hiding at the Tempe Buttes.
In 1929, patrolmen worked six days a week and were paid $100 a month. The police department moved into the west section of the new city-county building at 17 South 2nd Avenue. The building included jail
cells on the top two floors. In 1933, Ruth Meicher joined the police department as the first female jail matron. The city at this time was only 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), with a population of 48,200. In the year prior, the first police radio system in Arizona was installed for the department with the call letters KGZJ.
The department reorganized in 1950 with four divisions, Traffic, Detectives, Patrol and Service Divisions. Officers worked 44 hours per week for $288 per month. In 1974, the Air patrol unit was established initially consisting of one helicopter. A few months later, a fixed wing aircraft and two additional helicopters were added.
®‡¿½
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
Today, the Phoenix Police Department comprises more than 3,500 officers and 700 support personnel who protect a population of more than 1.6 million and patrol almost 516 square miles (1,336.4 km²) of the sixth largest city in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Phoenix was incorporated as a city on February 25, 1881. Law enforcement was handled by Phoenix city marshalMarshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
s and later by Phoenix police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s. Henry Garfias, the first city marshal, was elected by residents in 1881 in the first elections of the newly incorporated city. For six years, he served as the primary law enforcement officer.
In the early 1900s, the Phoenix Police Department used Old Nelly, the horse, to pull the patrol wagon for officers. Most patrolling, however, was done on foot. The city at this time was only 3.1 square miles (8 km²) with a population of 11,134 people. Call boxes were used to notify an officer that headquarters wanted him. These were supplemented by a system of horns and flashing lights.
The first Phoenix police officer killed in the line of duty in Phoenix occurred on February 5, 1925. Officer Haze Burch was shot and killed by two brothers on the run from authorities. The men were later arrested when they were found hiding at the Tempe Buttes.
In 1929, patrolmen worked six days a week and were paid $100 a month. The police department moved into the west section of the new city-county building at 17 South 2nd Avenue. The building included jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
cells on the top two floors. In 1933, Ruth Meicher joined the police department as the first female jail matron. The city at this time was only 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), with a population of 48,200. In the year prior, the first police radio system in Arizona was installed for the department with the call letters KGZJ.
The department reorganized in 1950 with four divisions, Traffic, Detectives, Patrol and Service Divisions. Officers worked 44 hours per week for $288 per month. In 1974, the Air patrol unit was established initially consisting of one helicopter. A few months later, a fixed wing aircraft and two additional helicopters were added.
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Controversies
- On October 5th 2010, Phoenix police officer Richard Chrisman, responding to a Domestic dispute call entered the mobile home in which Danny Rodriguez lived. Witnesses say that after Rodriguez confronted Officer Chrisman stating that he needed a warrant to enter the home, Officer Chrisman put his service handgun to Rodriguez head and yelled "I don't need no warrant, motherf**ker". Court papers say that an argument ensued, at some point officers used both a tazer and pepper spray on Rodriguez. Some time after this Officer Chrisman shot the family's dog and in a scuffle over a bike fatally shot an unarmed Rodriguez. Officer Chrisman, initially arrested on aggravated assault has since been charged with Second Degree murder in Danny Rodriguez death.
Fallen officers
Since 1925, the Phoenix Police Department has suffered a total of 34 deaths in the line of duty.| Officer | End of Watch | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Officer Haze Burch | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Walter H. Stewart | |
Vehicular Assault |
| Officer Dale C. Stone | |
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Clay Quincy Haywood | |
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Michael D. Hemschmeyer | |
Automobile Accident |
| Officer Gilbert R. Chavez | |
Gunfire |
| Police Guard John Franklin MacInnis | |
Heart Attack |
| Officer Arthur Del Gaudio Jr. | |
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Officer Ignacio Gonzales Conchos | |
Gunfire |
| Officer John R. Davis Sr. | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Kenneth E. Campbell | |
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Officer Errol C. Hawkins | |
Struck by Vehicle |
| Officer Robert L. Polmanteer | |
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Kevin W. Forsythe | |
Struck by Vehicle |
| Officer John A. Robertson | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Robert T. Fike | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Kenneth L. Collings | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Patrick O. Briggs | |
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Sergeant John Wayne Domblisky | |
Vehicular Assault |
| Sergeant Danny L. Tunney | |
Vehicular Assault |
| Officer Leonard Leon Kolodziej | |
Gunfire |
| Sergeant David Martin Kieffer | |
Vehicular Assault |
| Officer Marc Todd Atkinson | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Goelet Alessandro Carlo Beuf | |
Assault |
| Officer Beryl Wayne Scott Jr. | |
Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Donald Ralph Schultz | |
Drowned |
| Officer Eric James White | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Jason Alan Wolfe | |
Gunfire |
| Officer David Christopher Uribe | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Paul Robert Salmon | |
Automobile Accident |
| Officer George Valentino Cortez Jr. | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Nicki James (Nick) Erfle | |
Gunfire |
| Officer Shane Figueroa | |
Automobile Accident |
| Officer Travis P. Murphy | |
Gunfire |