Desert Breeze Precinct is full of people, sworn and civilian alike, who have dedicated their lives to the service of this community through their crime prevention efforts.  They work diligently to that end on a daily basis.  These people include patrol officers and sergeants, a Crime Prevention Officer, a Police Investigative Specialist, and Administrative Specialists, all working towards the same goal.  Over the past year, patrol officers logged hundreds of hours in a directed enforcement capacity, which is intended to reduce crime through the use of intelligence and the identification of crime trends.  The end result of these efforts has led to hundreds of traffic stops, dozens of arrests, and countless community contacts, all of which has had a positive impact on quality of life for community members.

Enhancements to crime prevention were made through the work of the Desert Breeze Crime Prevention Officer, Ofc. Dan Chavarria.  Through the Department’s Senior Lockbox program, Officer Chavarria established many positive contacts with community members who are potentially vulnerable to targeted crime and health risks. Also, employees continued to work with high-density housing locations to mitigate crime through the administration of the Department’s crime-free multi-housing (C3) program.   Not only have these programs helped to suppress crime and foster positive relationships with Chandler citizens, but they have also garnered considerable praise from citizens throughout the year.  Other events in which the Precinct members participated included quarterly “Coffee (or Froyo) with a Cop” events, the annual GAIN (Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods) event, the “Lock it or Lose It” campaign, the Firehouse Subs Water Drive, and the Dutch Bros. Coffee fundraiser designed to support the Department’s K9 Unit.  One of the more popular events was the “It’s Hotter than You Think” heat awareness campaign which was done in August at the Chandler Fashion Center Mall.

In addition to the efforts stated above, Precinct members have fostered very specific relationships with organizations within the area they serve.  Examples of this include:

• Participating with Intel in a table-top security exercise
• Arranging walk-throughs of large business campuses by beat officers for familiarization purposes
• Facilitated opportunities for large business communication personnel to observe the Chandler Police Communications Section for best practices.
• Continued to strengthen a partnership with the Chandler Fashion Center through networking and training. This included a stakeholder meeting early in the year between Desert Breeze command staff and the management of their security contingent.
• Participated in an active shooter training scenario orchestrated by mall employee in order to provide professional feedback and recommendations.

The success of the Chandler Police Department and that of the Desert Breeze Precinct is tied directly to the staff and is proportionate to their dedication to the Department’s mission and service to the community.  Although it can be difficult to quantify success or to single out the individuals responsible for it, the Precinct recognized a number of its employees for their efforts over the past year.  Often times, this recognition comes from outside the police department itself which is especially rewarding.  For example, a young lady came in during the year and asked to meet and thank the officers who she credited with saving her life.  She went on to explain that her interaction with these officers, during a very dark period of her life, was so meaningful that it allowed her to overcome her addiction and later give birth to a healthy and happy little boy.  Finally, this year, five Desert Breeze Precinct officers were awarded the Life-Saving Award and another three officers were issued Employee of the Quarter awards.  Each of these officers has demonstrated an exceptional level of commitment to their profession, their agency, and their community.

Partnerships were strengthened with the community through various outreach efforts, by members of the Department to include faith based groups, businesses, multi-family facilities, senior citizen care facilities, civic organizations, community outreach programs and HOAs.  Many of these collaborative efforts were coordinated to resolve identified quality of life issues.  Officers sought out community partnerships to solve chronic problems related to crime, nuisance, and livability issues. Officers focused on connecting with the public by getting out of their cars to talk with citizens and conducting many frequent patrols in the Precinct’s business districts, seeking opportunities to make a positive impact.  Many of these moments resulted in “Moments of Truth” where relationships of trust were strengthened.

Officers supported community outreach efforts in the Main Precinct by attending community meetings, Home Owner Association (HOA) meetings, Mayor’s Listening Tours, Low Rider Trunk or Treat, Boys & Girls Club activities, ICAN activities, the GAIN event, Adopt a Cop, Coffee with a Cop, and Pizza with the Police.  Team 8 continued their community outreach with the Lunch with a Cop program.  They have attended lunch sessions with the elementary schools in their precinct throughout the year, making thousands of positive contacts through a safe environment.  The kids and teachers continually look forward to the light-hearted interactions, which build a foundation with the youth of the community for years to come.

In furtherance of the Department’s CompStat objectives, the patrol teams conducted directed enforcement and special details throughout the year in an effort to drive down crime and address quality of life concerns.  Officers and assets were deployed to strategic locations based on intelligence led data in efforts to reduced crime and calls for service (CFS) in identified areas with great success.

Night shift officers worked dozens of hours this year on directed enforcement activities, having a significant impact on precinct crime reduction, intelligence gathering and identifying crime trends.  Officers conducted hundreds of on-view CFS resulting in a positive impact on the community.

Throughout the year night shift officers played a major role in the significant reduction of homeless and severe mental ill subjects living on the streets of Chandler.  This was accomplished by applying strict law enforcement techniques when required and giving guidance towards City and County assistance programs to housing and shelters.

The Main Precinct is home to the Department’s “Field Training Officer” Program.  Setting a strong foundation for officer’s careers is paramount to the success of the mission and future of the Department.  For 2018, 32 new officers went through the program.  In addition, two officer reorientations were completed for sworn officers returning to patrol from specialty assignments.  Four newly promoted sergeants and two newly promoted lieutenants went through the supervisory training programs as well.

In 2018, the Chandler Police Department received the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Leadership in Crime Prevention Award for its innovative “Guardian Academy” program. Crime Prevention Officer Tina Balsewicz attended the IACP conference in Florida in October to acept the award.

The following is a list of some of the significant contributions that were made by the men and women of the Chandler Heights Precinct – whose passion and commitment made these possible:

• Chandler Heights continued to encourage dog walkers throughout our community to assist as “extra eyes and ears” in crime prevention efforts. The Dog Walker Watch program, introduced in 2017, has proven to be a great success, with over 200 graduates now keeping a watchful eye in the community.
• The Precinct continued its “Coffee with a Cop” events. Members of this precinct enjoyed opportunities to meet with the public to discuss a variety of topics in a relaxed environment.
• The day-shift patrol teams made it a regular practice to visit elementary schools during their lunch hours. This practice has evolved into stopping in just to say hello and reading to younger students.
• The Chandler Heights Precinct and the Victim Services Unit conducted a second annual “Teddy Bear Drive” with the Tom Wood Team and Bashas. This event was a great success, netting over 800 stuffed animals for use by the Victim Services Unit and other CPD Programs.
• Patrol teams conducted traffic enforcement in a number of neighborhood and community canvasses in which information was passed out to citizens. This also became an opportunity to explain how they can reduce the likelihood of becoming victims of crime.
• This year, personnel focused on building relationships to assist businesses with maintaining safe work environments. Several larger businesses such as Fed Ex, Intel, Orbital Sciences, Walmart, and PayPal participated.
• In a concentrated effort to recognize Police personnel for the exceptional jobs they do every day, positive public contacts were memorialized through social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook and on the Department’s website.
• Precinct personnel continued to address south Chandler’s increase in business starts, general construction, and new subdivisions. Precinct employees implemented projects entailing “high visibility” campaigns, Home Owner Association (HOA) partnerships and community events.
• Crime prevention efforts continued with the assistance of Officer Robin Atwood – a Crime Prevention Officer (CPO) assigned to the Precinct. CPOs raise awareness about crime being committed in neighborhoods, and they challenge community members to be active in the City’s crime-fighting efforts.
• Chandler Heights again hosted this year’s Safety and Veteran Expo, which included child fingerprinting, prescription drug take back, static displays, food trucks and choral presentations from three Chandler elementary schools.
• The movement of all training personnel to the new Public Safety Training Center allowed for the expansion of the Department’s Volunteers in Policing, Citizen Police Academy Alumni of Chandler (CPAAC), crime prevention and Police Cadet programs within the Chandler Heights facility.

Accomplishments for 2018 are as follows:

• The Unit deployed and tested the Department’s first pickup truck in Patrol.
• The Unit up fitted three vehicles for the Department’s Motorist Assist volunteers. New light bars, sirens, and lights were purchased for each vehicle. The recently adopted color scheme for Park Rangers was applied to the volunteer vehicles for the purposes of uniformity and higher visibility.
• In July, Rigid Industries beta tested some of their lights on the Department’s Park Ranger vehicles.
• The Unit worked closely with the Fleet Advisory Committee to replace a number of the Department’s older detective vehicles.