Introduction by the Chief of Police

I am pleased to present our 2017 Annual Report.

Last year, the men and women of the Chandler Police Department continued to carry out our mission of ensuring Chandler remains one of the safest cities in America.  We realize there are many variables that contribute to Chandler’s safe-city status, such as our very dedicated and talented employees as well as strong support from our Mayor and Council.  We also realize that, in order for us to continue to accomplish our mission, we must have the confidence, support, and trust of the people who visit, live, and work in our city.  So last year, we continued our emphasis on community engagement to help strengthen trust and respect in order to provide effective police services.  We also achieved a number of significant accomplishments.

• Last year, we helped drive down overall Part 1 crime by 3.8 % from the prior year, making 2017, one of the safest years.
• We promoted 11 leaders throughout the department. Leaders who will shape our culture and ensure we meet the challenges of 21st century policing.
• We received our 8th consecutive re-accreditation from Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. In 1996, the department sought out and received accreditation for the first time demonstrating its voluntary commitment to the highest standards of performance.
• CALEA accreditation is an integral component of Chandler’s professional reputation and assists us in our ability to help make Chandler one of the safest cities in the nation.
• Also last year, we joined the Police Data Initiative, providing open data on our website to enhance transparency, community trust and understanding.
• We streamlined our predictive policing and CompStat process, leveraging accurate and timely data to help us police smarter and more effectively.
• Our detectives solved a 1987 “cold-case” homicide with the indictment and arrest of the suspect living out of state.
• We enhanced our online reporting module on our website so citizens can enter information and obtain police reports over the internet.
• We provided de-escalation and behavioral health training to all officers to safely and effectively deal with people in crisis.
• Our Victim Services Unit received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in recognition of outstanding crime victim advocacy.
• We expanded our social media presence and interaction with the community through Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
• Our cadet program hosted their 19th Annual Tactical Competition with over 1,000 participants from across the country in attendance.
• We completed the design phase of the Victim services area renovation, which, once completed, will enable us to provide an enhanced level of service to victims of serious crimes in a safe and neutral environment.
• We broke ground on our new Public Safety Training Facility which will help us meet the challenges of 21st century policing by providing quality and effective training.
• We began our transition to black and white patrol vehicles.
• We provided our officers with enhanced ballistic armor to help keep them safe during deadly force encounters
• We continued to strengthen our collaboration with our federal and regional law enforcement partners leveraging resources, training, and expertise to further help keep Chandler safe.
• We implemented non-emergency text messaging which has provided the public an alternate method of contacting the Police department.
• We trained and equipped all of our officers with the opioid reversal drug, Narcan.
• Our Police Citizen Academy graduates created an alumni association to increase public awareness and understanding of law enforcement in our community.
• We introduced a new crime awareness program that encourages dog walkers throughout our community to assist as “extra eyes and ears”. The Dog Walker Watch program has proven to be a great success, with over 300 graduates now keeping a watchful eye.
• Last year, over one hundred volunteers and cadets dedicated thousands of hours to the Department and the Chandler community.

Developing and maintaining community partnerships is the cornerstone of our system of policing in Chandler. So I want to thank all of you who worked alongside us this past year helping us safeguard our city.

I am very proud of our police department and what we accomplished last year, and I look forward to continued successes and achievements throughout 2018.