{"id":167215,"date":"2025-08-22T19:11:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T19:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/167215\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T19:11:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T19:11:12","slug":"new-phoenix-police-chief-wants-3000-officers-on-patrol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/167215\/","title":{"rendered":"New Phoenix police chief wants 3,000 officers on patrol"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 New Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano wants more officers patrolling the city than in a decade. However, his department won\u2019t be willing to hire just anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone deserves to wear a badge,\u201d Giordano told KTAR News 92.3 FM\u2019s The Mike Broomhead Show on Friday. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good people out there (who) just don\u2019t deserve to wear the badge. So, we take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, work for Phoenix police. Giordano wants to bump that number up to 3,000, which hasn\u2019t been achieved since around 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came here to Phoenix, what I found is our applications have doubled,\u201d Giordano said. \u201cIt takes manpower to process those applications, so we\u2019re backfilling some positions to process those applications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the reason Giordano was optimistic about staffing was a recent visit he took to the Phoenix Regional Police Academy, where he saw class sizes ranging from 30 to 38 recruits.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur employment services, our academy is doing a phenomenal job getting people in the door, providing the training,\u201d Giordano said. \u201cSo I think we\u2019re going to start seeing an increase in the number of men and women out on the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giordano believes the target goal of 3,000 officers will be reached in a couple of years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the tide\u2019s turning. We\u2019re getting a lot more young men and women who want to join the department and we\u2019re really excited about that,\u201d Giordano said.<\/p>\n

How to become a Phoenix police officer<\/p>\n

Giordano cautioned anyone thinking about becoming a Phoenix police officer that it is not an easy process, as he called it \u201cthe most elaborate\u201d he knows of.<\/p>\n

To start, all applicants<\/a> must be at least 20 1\/2 years old at the time of their application, a U.S. citizen and meet standards set forth by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.<\/p>\n

If an applicant is determined to be eligible, they will then go through an extensive background check and aptitude test. Polygraph, psychological and medical examinations will also be performed.<\/p>\n

This process can take about two to three months, according to Phoenix police<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If selected to continue, all new recruits will then go through a 26-week-long program at the police academy, which begins every six weeks.<\/p>\n

After graduating from the academy, recruits become officers-in-training and go through a 17-week field training program<\/a> before officially going on patrol.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hold ourselves to a high standard and we start that in our hiring process,\u201d Giordano said. \u201cSo, to become a Phoenix police officer, it takes a lot of work. It takes the right mentality, right personality.\u201d<\/p>\n

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