2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t Tempe Police Department 2013 Annual Report Message from the Chief What’s Inside: Our Mission, Vision, Values, Goals ............... 2 Facts & Figures ......... 3-4 Educational Campaign: Data-Driven DecisionMaking ..................... 5-7 Proactive Patrols ......... 7 Crime Prevention ........ 8 Operations................... 9 Investigations ............ 10 SIB, Traffic, Homeland Defense ..................... 11 Technology & Communications ....................... 12 Training & Development .......................... 12 Celebrating Staff ........ 13 Links & Resources...... 13 On behalf of the men and women of the Tempe Police Department, it is an honor to present our 2013 Annual Report. The great support and partnership of residents, our Mayor and Council, businesses, neighborhoods, and community groups across Tempe is clearly reflected in our continued ability to positively meet challenges and keep Tempe safe. In 2013, we responded to approximately 148,000 calls for service, a figure that has remained fairly consistent over the past three years. Part I crime (the most violent and prolific) also remained consistent this year compared to 2012. We had a 6% decrease in violent crime and a 0.6% increase in property crime, for an overall 0.1% reduction. Historically, this is an all-time low and 12.2% lower than five years ago. While crime and calls for service levels have remained relatively consistent, our recent community assessment suggests significant change approaching. Currently, we know that our residential population of 164,000 increases by 46% on a daily basis. New large-scale developments, like the State Farm and USA Basketball developments, will increase population density, traffic congestion, and police response complexity. Meeting these challenges successfully depends on our partnerships with the community and elected officials. Our ongoing collaboration with local, state and national law enforcement partners enhances our ability to target violent repeat offenders and drug traffickers, and to build solid investigations that result in successful prosecutions. We greatly appreciate the community’s support of our campaign to target neighborhood disorder. Reducing loud parties and underage drinking remain a high priority in the Department’s efforts to curb associated crime, including street-jump robbery, aggravated assault and sexual assault. The men and women of the Tempe Police Department worked very hard to achieve the results presented in this report, and I am proud to lead and work alongside them. I want to thank the members of our community for your continued partnership and to encourage our continued interactions. Truly, our accomplishments over the past year would not have been possible without your support. Sincerely, Tom Ryff Chief of Police 1 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t Our Vision We are a highly adaptive, flexible, and proactive organization that integrates both community oriented and intelligence-led policing philosophies. Our organization is fully staffed with collaborative, accountable, and highly skilled employees who are dedicated to providing the highest quality police services to the community. We utilize innovative technology, systems, and processes to gather, analyze, and disseminate crime and intelligence information throughout our organization. We operationalize crime information and intelligence to allocate our police resources strategically and prevent and suppress crime in the community. Our Mission We promote regional information sharing and cultivate active community and interagency partnerships. is to suppress crime and promote the safety of our community. Our Core Values Honor We will be honorable in our principles, intentions, and actions. Loyalty We are committed to fellow employees and the community we serve. Integrity We value honest communication and our actions match our words. Dedication We are devoted to the delivery of effective and efficient police services. Our Strategic Goals Our strategic goals guide the activities and direction of the Department, providing a foundation for decision-making that enables continuous delivery of the highest quality police service to the community. Fight Crime & Enhance Community Safety Promote Community Involvement Support & Develop Employees Enhance Innovation & Technology 2 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l R e p o r t Department Facts & Figures P a g e 3 Police Department Budget & Personnel The Tempe Police Department Fiscal Year 13/14 Operating budget is $73.5 million, of which 79% is allotted to personal services. The Department’s budget currently has an authorized strength of 491 employees, 70% of which are sworn personnel and 30% civilian. These numbers have remained relatively stable after the City’s budget reduction process that took place during the nation’s economic downturn. *Beginning in Fiscal Year 2012-13, the operating budget total shows an increase due to the inclusion of grant funds (rather than additional general funds) received by Tempe PD. Sworn positions include patrol and traffic officers, detectives, and command staff. Civilian staff includes records clerks, dispatchers, budget and crime analysts, forensic technicians, property and evidence custodians, command staff, and other administrative support positions. Calls for Service in Tempe In 2013, Tempe received 147,928 calls for service (CFS), a 1.9% decrease from 2012. This averages to 405 CFS per day. Of those, 234 are citizens requesting police assistance, while 171 are proactive calls generated by police officers. Citizen generated calls for service account for 55-59% of all CFS each year. Over the past decade (2004-2013), Tempe has seen a 23% decrease in total CFS. Most recent data shows this trend stabilizing. (Facts & Figures continued on next page…) 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t (Facts & Figures continued from prior page…) 2013 Crime in Tempe In 2013, Tempe had 8,754 reported Part I crimes, a 0.1% decrease from 2012 (8,761). More specifically, violent crime decreased by 6% and property crime increased by 0.6% from 2012 to 2013. Violent crime accounts for 7-10% of Part I crimes reported each year, with 2013 violent crime making 9% of Part I crime. Part I crime has Crime through the Decade declined by 38% over the From 2004 to 2013, reported Part I crime declined by 38%, from 14,058 to 8,754. Specifically, violent crime dropped by 15% (980 to 831), while property crime decreased by 39% (from 13,078 to 7,923). past decade. 4 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t Educational Campaign: Data-Driven Decision-Making One of the most significant initiatives conducted by the Tempe Police Department in 2013 was the Department’s efforts to address underage drinking and drug use and the social harm that results from it. Last school year, several high profile party-related incidents occurred in Tempe which received national attention and significantly raised the City’s awareness of the problem. These events triggered a three-part response by the Tempe Police Department: (1) the Loud Party and Neighborhood Disorder Report, (2) the Safe and Sober Campaign, and (3) the Operation Safe and Sober Assessment. This initiative’s primary focus was to address neighborhood problems related to noise, loud parties, alcohol use, debris, public urination, code violations, general disorder, and physical assaults. Highlights of the Loud Party & Neighborhood Disorder Report > Loud party calls for service were the fifth most frequent call type responded to by the Tempe Police Department over the last five years. Loud party calls for service are the fifth most frequent call type responded to by Tempe Police > A conservative analysis of costs shows the Department expends approximately $127,000 per year in patrol officer resources responding to these types of calls. This estimate does not include indirect costs associated with the oversight of fines and fees for those in violation of the loud party ordinance. Department. > Loud party calls for service peaked in 2009 (6,537) and decreased over the past four years to an overall average of 6,051. > Much of the loud party activity coincides with the Arizona State University (ASU) schedule. The busiest month for loud party calls for service is October, with an average of 663 calls as compared to the overall monthly average of 500 calls. > 43% of loud parties occur within one mile of ASU’s Tempe campus, with a concentrated area just east of campus. > 33% of all loud party calls lie within a 2mile square area of the city, the area just east of ASU campus. Within this area of focus, five specific districts were identified as having 10 times more loud party calls than typical. > A pattern emerged showing an increase in loud party calls for service at or near the relocation of ASU fraternities off campus and into Tempe’s neighborhoods. Over the past four academic semesters, loud party calls have consistently migrated in conjunction with fraternity relocation. > Loud party calls are correlated with other nuisance calls such as disturbance calls, code violations, public intoxication, and indecent exposure. They are also highly correlated geographically with serious crime (e.g., murder, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny -theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson). (Educational Campaign continued on next page…) 5 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t (Educational Campaign continued from prior page…) Police Response As part of the City’s Interdepartmental Work Team (IWT)*, the Tempe Police Department collaborated with other City departments and ASU administration in response to this problem. Multiple strategies were created and implemented to reduce loud party calls for service and associated disorder. The Department initiated Operation Safe and Sober, an enhanced “Back to School” program in Fall 2013.  Phase one of this initiative focused on unsafe behaviors around the city’s primary, middle, and high schools.  Phase two of this operation provided education to the community about the risks associated with hosting and attending loud parties, and proactively focused resources on high density loud party locations throughout the city. One major accomplishment of the IWT was an improved nuisance party and unlawful gathering city ordinance. It provided a mechanism to:  Change fine and fee structure for offenses.  Provide alternative means of service for officers to deliver such notices to party hosts.  Identify and hold accountable all entities involved with the loud party (host, participant, organization, management company, and/or owner of property).  Add an aggravated loud party section to increase the penalty when other crimes are being committed during the loud party. Operation Safe & Sober Assessment In response to the loud party and neighborhood disorder analysis, the Tempe Police Department carried out Operation Safe & Sober over four consecutive weeks from August 5th through September 1st. The intent was to reduce loud party calls for service and to prevent sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault through education and enforcement, with emphasis in the Loud Party Corridor. The Safe & Sober Assessment reports on data collected during the months of August and September in an attempt to measure the effects of this initiative. The major outcomes of the initiative are discussed in the following sections Operation Results: Calls for Service This story can fit cation that you’ve created for your organTempe experienced a 175-225 10.4% words. reduction in loud ization. newsletter is folded and mailed, party callsIf your during the study period, with a 17.2% appear the back. So, it’s You can also use this space to remind reductionthis forstory thewill month ofonAugust alone. a good idea to make it easy to read at a readers to mark their calendars for a In October glance. 2013, 211 fewer loud party calls ocregular event, such as a breakfast meeting for vendors every third Tuesday curred when compared to session the typical A question and answer is a goodOctober of the month, or a biannual charity aucover the previous fourcapture years.the attention of way to quickly tion. readers. You can either compile questions The area that of focus 38 last fewer (-14.2%) you’veexperienced received since the edition If space is available, this is a good place to loud partyorcalls compared thegeneric same questime periyou can summarizeto some insert a clip art image or some other tions that are frequently asked about graphic. od in 2012. This reduction accounted for 52% of your organization. the city’s total reduction in loud party calls. A listing of names and titles of managers The Fall 2013 parties in your semester organizationloud is a good way tocontinued give to occuryour near fraternities, albeit less pronewsletter a personal touch. If your nounced.organization is small, you may want to list the names of all employees. Historically, October has been the highest month for Loud Party calls for service. The initiative appeared to have a lingering effect on Loud Party CFS, with a drastic reduction in the months following the initiative, particularly in October. If you have any prices of standard products or services, you can include a listing of those here. You may want to refer your readers to any other forms of communi* The Interdepartmental Work Team (IWT) is a task force of several City department representatives focusing on neighborhood issues. 6 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t 7 (Educational Campaign/Operation Assessment continued from prior page…) Operation Results: Crime Citywide Part I crime increased by 2% (1346 to 1370). Part I crime consists of homicide, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In comparison, Part I crime decreased by 8% in the Loud Party Corridor. Citywide violent crime— sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault—was reduced by 10% (141 to 124 cases) when compared to the same period in 2012. In contrast, the area of focus experienced a 28% reduction in violent crime. An analysis of robberies showed a citywide reduction of 43% (47 to 27), with a 76% reduction (17 to 4) in the area of focus. Safe & Sober Enforcement - Activity 5,171 contacts/vehicle stops 1,331 total arrests 309 DUI arrests 2,747 citations Issuance of 525 Minors More specifically, street-jump robberies went from 30 to 15 (50% reduction) in the city and in Possession/ from 10 to 2 (80% reduction) in the area of focus. This type of robbery targets individuals in Consumption cases a public place (e.g., street, alley, light rail platform, bus stop), and it was a point of emphasis for this operation. As a result of a shared concern for student safeUnfortunately, this initiative did not directly impact sexual or aggravated ty, the Arizona Board of Regents established a assaults. statewide taskforce. The Department continues to monitor loud party calls and crime, and will assess the extent to which operations like Safe and Sober can have a sustained impact. It is clear that addressing the loud party issue near ASU will require an ongoing effort by the Department. Increased Patrols in Targeted Apartment Communities Proactive Patrols In response to ongoing crime trends in apartment communities along Baseline Road, Grove Parkway, and Broadway Road, the South Side Apartment Community crime reduction effort was developed and implemented. Several weeks of increased proactive patrols in targeted areas resulted in 94 arrests, 114 traffic violations, 22 parking citations, and 92 field contacts. The crime suppression effort yielded an overall 10% reduction in calls for service from targeted communities. South Patrol also saw a 13% reduction in crime after the operation concluded. The positive impact on crime reduction in the targeted apartment communities set the stage for future proactive patrol efforts in communities throughout Tempe. In support of this effort, the Tempe and Arizona State University Police Departments jointly proposed a strategic initiative with the following goals: 1) Ensure that appropriate City of Tempe Police and ASU Police resources are available and deployed to address mutual public safety issues on campus and in the City of Tempe. 2) Develop and implement policy changes to address mutual public safety issues on and around campus. Party Patrol As in prior years, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) partnered with the Tempe Police Department to support enforcement squads in combatting underage liquor law violations and DUIs. Through two DUI abatement grants totaling $100,000, the Department was able to fund party patrol on weekend nights and during special events for the majority of the year. With this financial support, officers responded to 882 loud party calls, made 1,135 arrests, wrote 375 civil citations, and gave 508 party notices in 2013. The ability to provide extra officers in Tempe during these time periods dramatically reduced loud noise and party calls for service. 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t 8 Crime Prevention Crime Prevention & Security Plan Enhancements The Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) partners with local businesses in developing and ensuring adherence to security plans. These plans are crucial for business success and the safety of employees and customers. During 2013, more than 30 security plans were updated, modified, or written for new businesses. Also new to Crime Prevention, the City initiated a use permit requirement for fraternities. As part of the permitting process, fraternities are expected to provide an updated security plan. One fraternity has worked with the CPU to successfully complete the permitting process. Through their successful compliance, calls for service to that address dropped by 71%. The Police Communications Bureau manages 9-1-1 emergency calls and nonemergency inquiries and dispatches officers. On average:  Answered over 300 9-1-1 calls per day  Answered over 600 non- emergency calls per day  Dispatched over 450 CFS per day Crime-Free Multi-Housing Program Seeing Success with Apartment Communities The Crime Prevention Unit also partners with over 250 apartment complex managers, all of which receive email notifications daily, alerting them to police action on their properties. As part of their efforts, the unit has been tasked with supporting the Crime-Free MultiHousing (CFMH) Program in Tempe. During 2013, more than 55 complexes have joined the CFMH, 35 of which have completed all steps necessary in achieving full membership. Steps include: 1) One 8-hour training session consisting of:  Defining CFMH and discussing its benefits  Drug detection strategies  Principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)  How to evict non-complying tenants  Cleaning properties of debris and obstruction  Ownership of properties 2) An on-site security inspection to ensure compliance with CPTED standards such as adequate lighting, secure window and door locks, and key fobs for building access. 3) Promoting Crime-Free awareness through a community celebration and signage of program membership and notification of enforcement for those who do not comply with CFMH standards. 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t Operations Operation Frontline Between January and March, Operation Frontline was created as a result of the Department receiving complaints from several community and neighborhood groups about crime and disorder in the Downtown and adjoining neighborhoods. The purpose of this operation was to alleviate quality of life issues in the downtown area and complaints of public sexual indecency in city parks. The operation included intense overt and covert patrols in the Downtown District and park restrooms, joint efforts with Mesa PD, as well as surveillance on suspicious suspects believed to be involved in illegal drug activity. As a result of these efforts, several career bike thieves were arrested, suspects were arrested for possessing and selling drugs, numerous warrants were cleared, and drugs, money and a vehicle were seized as evidence. Directed efforts made in parks included arrests for public consumption and citations issued for alcohol in the park, urban camping, felony and As a continuation of the Demisdemeanor warrants, trespassing, disorderly conduct, aggressive partment’s park efforts, Operpanhandling, criminal littering, criminal damage/graffiti, and theft. ation Park Partner was deployed to address an increase of graffiti and drug activity in the city parks. The Patrol Division was tasked in October Tempe Marketplace with completing random and experienced a 30% proactive security checks at Tempe parks. Patrol staff comcrime reduction durpleted 308 security checks in ing the 2013 holiday city parks during the operaseason compared to tional period of this project. the year prior. The Forensic Services Unit is comprised of one supervisor and six technicians.  Responded to 565 inves- tigative crime scenes  Processed 10,987 arrest fingerprint cards  Entered 714 latent prints into Arizona Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)  Processed over 1,600 photographs Winter Freeze Based on past success, the Winter Freeze program was brought back to patrol in an effort to combat crime near shopping centers throughout the holiday season. During the operational period of November 28, 2013 through January 5, 2014, Patrol Officers were directed to focus their on-view activity in six specific locations. The target locations were identified through an analysis of crime data and economics. Emphasis was placed on traffic stops, subject contacts, security checks, educational contacts and public presentations in the designated areas. During the 2013 operation, officers made 1,565 contacts. Outcomes of this initiative show that increased proactive officer contacts resulted in fewer citizengenerated calls for service. Additionally, Tempe Marketplace experienced a significant reduction (-30%) in crime reports from the prior year. 9 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l R e p o r t Investigations P a g e 1 0 “Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself” Fraud Case Tempe Police detectives noticed a series concerning check forgery in local department stores. During an investigation that spanned over a year, detectives worked with several local police agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, retailers, financial institutions, and a company that handles the check clearing for these large retailers. Detectives were able to identify two large and loosely affiliated organizations that were operating throughout the East Valley. Detectives identified over 400 persons of interest, many organizational kingpins, turning it into the largest forgery ring ever investigated by the Tempe Police Department. This case also presented the largest forgery ring ever prosecuted in Arizona. Detectives were able to show that these criminals stole at least $243,000. Ultimately, the Attorney General’s Office secured 109 indictments. The courts sentenced these suspects to a combined 120 years in prison. This criminal activity spanned across the valley involving hundreds of victims and numerous retail establishments. Detectives dismantled these organizations, arresting everyone from the people printing the checks to those who cashed the checks. Hotel Burglary Crime Series The Police Detention Facility provides a secure location to house offenders awaiting pre-trial hearings and/or bail and those serving short-term sentences. The unit booked over 13,000 arrestees, or approximately 1,090 per month, in 2013. Between August 2012 and May of 2013, 77 hotel burglaries were reported in the Phoenix Metro area, with several in Tempe (started Feb 2013). Through the coordination between Tempe’s Crime and Intelligence Center (CIC) and Criminal Investigative Bureau (CIB), a joint task force comprising of Tempe, Scottsdale, Avondale, Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale Police Departments, along with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), was created to address this crime series. The investigation revealed that hotel rooms were being burglarized with no forced entry or damage, indicating that access was gained through the key lock. Once it was discovered how the key lock was being bypassed, hotel managers were able to provide vital knowledge to assist the investigation. With this information, detectives were able to narrow their scope and establish significant leads. Tempe detectives found evidence identifying several suspects in a related Tempe burglary. Detectives tracked the main suspect to several different states where he continued his crime spree and was eventually taken into custody. Resulting felony charges were submitted for three individuals, and the multi-state spree subsequently ended. Little Caesar’s Pizza “Silver Bandit” Robbery Series Between July and September, there were seven armed robberies at Little Caesar’s Pizza restaurants involving several suspects with similar modus operandi (MO). Detectives believed the suspects to be accomplices based on witness descriptions, similar MO, and reports of the same handgun seen at five of the incidents. Once the series was identified, detectives began working the case with the help of crime analysts, the Criminal Apprehension Surveillance Team (CAST), and the Robbery Squad. Patrol officers assisted in surveillance and additional patrol activity at Little Caesar’s locations during September. When suspect information was developed, search warrants were obtained and evidence was found related to the crimes. With the help of patrol and special unit resources, four violent suspects, who were involved in additional robberies, were arrested. 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t Special Investigations Bureau The Special Investigations Bureau (SIB) consists of Narcotics, Projects Squad, Technical Unit, and the Bomb Squad. 2013 SIB Highlights include: Seven search warrants were served at illegal marijuana dispensaries that resulted in the seizure of hundreds of pounds of marijuana, hash, heroin, cocaine, marijuana plans, guns, and vehicles, and the arrest of 38 people. The K-9 unit, which includes two narcotic-specific dogs and their handlers, seized several hundreds of pounds of drugs and over $1.2 million cash. They conducted 331 searches and assisted several agencies in searches, including Chandler PD, ASU PD, Phoenix PD, Mesa, PD, DEA, HIDTA, US Postal Service, DPS, Local Business Owners, Fed EX, UPS, and crating companies. During 2013, SIB served a total of 33 search warrants, several as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force. In two wiretap investigations conducted with the Phoenix Division of the DEA, several valley drug trafficking organizations were dismantled when 25 offenders were arrested and $2.5 million cash, 170 lbs of methamphetamine, and 38 lbs of cocaine were seized. 2013 DUI Statistics DUI: 1,405 Aggravated DUI: 80 Extreme DUI: 509 Super Extreme DUI: 228 DUI Drugs: 106 DUI - Under 21: 108 Traffic Bureau From 2012 to 2013, the Traffic Bureau was able to reduce traffic collisions in the city by 4.3% (from 4,889 to 4,680). In an effort to reduce collisions, traffic officers targeted the monthly projected top five intersections for accidents, as identified by the Strategic Planning, Analysis and Research Center (SPARC). Officers were strategically placed at these intersections during the hours and days accidents most frequently occurred in prior years. While deployed, these officers provided enhanced law enforcement visibility and traffic enforcement. The Traffic Bureau also worked closely with the City’s Traffic Engineering Department to quickly address trending traffic safety issues specifically in and around our neighborhoods and schools. In 2013, they continued to aggressively enforce DUI statutes by reassigning personnel to the DUI Motor Squad, providing DUI and Drug Recognition Expert related training, and updating the DUI van with new technology. The Traffic Bureau was also awarded a total of $312,000 by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to assist with additional and continued training opportunities and aggressive DUI enforcement. Homeland Defense Unit During 2013, the Homeland Defense Unit played an integral part in planning safety operations for numerous high profile special events in the city, including the New Year’s Block Party, Ironman, Independence Day/4th of July, P.F. Chang’s Rock & Roll Marathon, the Pat Tillman Run, and the Republican Governors Association (RGA) Conference, among others. Additionally, their expertise was requested and provided at several events like the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Game, the ASU PAC-12 Championship game and the City of Scottsdale’s Waste Management Open. In addition to providing threat mitigation expertise for the above events, the Unit also proactively met with the community, local businesses, and school faculty and administrators to provide twenty-four active shooter training courses, collectively consisting of more than seventy-two hours of classroom instruction. The purpose of this program is to educate stakeholders about the realities of active shooter incidents, to develop comprehensive security plans, and to implement best practices on how to respond during an active shooter incident. 1 1 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t Improvements in Technology In December of 2012, the Police Department transitioned to a new Records Management System. In July 2013, the Case Management module of the system was activated for use of the Department’s investigations units. The implementation of this module significantly enhances the Department’s ability to track investigations from the initial report to submission for trial. Prior to this year, patrol was using outdated and inefficient laptops used for call-taking and mobile reporting. Due to this technology reaching the end of its shelf life, Technology Services completed a laptop refresh in which consoles, docking stations, and laptops in all patrol vehicles and 50 specialty vehicles were replaced. Additionally, the PD’s Communications Bureau successfully completed the upgrade of the entire radio system, the first phase of several in meeting updated FCC requirements . 1 2 Communications Hiring Process Streamlined To create a more efficient hiring program, the Communications Bureau reviewed and updated their dispatch application process. What originally took four months to complete is now streamlined to a three week process. The shortened process is critical in staffing, as it takes nine months to fully train a new dispatcher. In the past, a vacancy took approximately 18 months to fill, while today it takes 12 months as a result of this new approach. Improvements include electronic applications, emails rather than phone calls, background packets given to complete sooner, and more resources assisting in the hiring process. Training & Development Mitigating Police Employee Collisions through Training Nationally, the dangers of driving in the law enforcement field remain a leading cause of death and injury for police officers. The training staff completed a comprehensive review of all collisions by police employees, developing specific training to address trends and implement strategies for safe driving. In addition to training on vehicle preparation, emergency driving, evasive action, and safe vehicle stop approaches, innovative training was also introduced to address and manage the dangers of distracted driving. Tempe is at the forefront of lowering the risk of collisions on Cultural Diversity & Communication duty, which has become a greater trend in law enforcement Recognizing that we serve a diverse community with with officer use of advanced portable technologies. varied cultural experiences, the Tempe Police Department conducted an all-employee “Safety through A primary focus of the Developing Leaders Communication” training. Supplementing prior diverDepartment is to continsity training, employees learned more about various cultures common in Tempe, including Muslim, African uously develop its leaders. In 2013, four employees sucAmerican, Hispanic, and those with disabilities or cessfully completed the ten week academic leadership suffering from mental illness. The importance of comprogram at Northwestern University’s School of Police munication was stressed as a means of reducing culStaff and Command. For the first time in Tempe PD histotural barriers and eliminating unnecessary conflict in ry, two sergeants attended the academic program to order to better address public safety issues. further enhance our goal of developing the Department’s future leaders. The Department looks forward to providing this advanced leadership training opportunity to this critical first-line supervisor position. 2 0 1 3 A n n u a l P a g e R e p o r t 1 3 Celebrating Staff Volunteers in Policing More than 100 Volunteers in Policing (VIPs) contributed nearly 12,000 hours of service to the police department and community, valued at more than $234,000. These men and women assisted with tasks including (but not limited to) administrative needs, bicycle registrations, warrant surrenders, fingerprinting, hiring processes, DUI enforcement, Crime Prevention, Crime Analysis, K9 training, charitable events, mounted training and care, firearms range maintenance, and patrol fleet care. VIP support is invaluable to the Department, its employees, its service animals and the community. Lifesaving Award presented for an act that results in the saving or preservation of a life VIP Pipe Band New Hires Craig Bair ~ Sean Knapp ~ Wayne Jordan Cameron Payne ~ Ratko Aleksis ~ Steven Neff Meritorious Award presented for exceptional contribution to the progress of the Department or for exemplary performance of assigned duties Alan Akey ~ David Breen ~ Amanda Bunger ~ Pete Del Rio Molly Enright ~ Naomi Galbraith ~ Matthew Jones Matthew McFarland ~ Heather Penner ~ Tim Petersen ~ Jack Richards Jonathan Seal ~ Sean Still ~ Ricky Valencia ~ Darren Martinez Tempe PD hired 23 new employees in 2013 to fill vacant positions. Eight professional staff positions were filled in Communications (6), Detention (1), and Budget and Finance (1). Fifteen new police officers joined the Department, coming from the ranks of military service, collegiate athletics, other City departments, and Tempe residents. Additional Links & Resources City of Tempe Tempe Police Department Strategic Plan Loud Party & Neighborhood Disorder Report Safe & Sober Assessment Community Assessment and Workload Analysis Tempe Police Foundation Tempe Partners in Crime