ARIZONA NEWS

Police department launches in growing community of Queen Creek

Jan 12, 2022, 4:45 AM | Updated: Jan 16, 2022, 10:08 pm

PHOENIX — The Queen Creek Police Department officially launched right after midnight on Tuesday with cruisers hitting the streets of the fast-growing town in the East Valley.

The department comes nearly two years after the town’s council unanimously voted to form its own police force to keep up with the community’s growth.

“The key to our success to this date has been all about the community,” Chief Randy Brice said at a press conference Tuesday.

“We recruited, we trained, we have developed our policies and procedures all centered around the fact that we want to have a department and a group of officers and professional staff that were focused on one thing, and that was the community.”

The Queen Creek Police Department starts out with 73 staff members, 64 of those are sworn officers. A few more positions are still in the hiring process. They’ll serve about 70,000 residents.

Brice said officers and staff have been “readily engaged” with the community throughout the last 6 to 8 months “to find out what they want, how they want the department to run and really developing [the department] from that perspective.”

Over the past three decades, Queen Creek had contracted with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to be the town’s law enforcement provider. MCSO will still have a presence in county islands that sit in Queen Creek.

Brice said one of the goals of the department is to arrive on scene in less than 5 minutes.

“We’re also trying to get as much diversity,” he said. “One of our big focus points was to try to make sure the organization matched the community when it came to some of the demographics.”

More than 30% of staff are women and 10% are Latinos.

Brice also noted that when appropriate and lawful, his department will communicate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding a person’s immigration status and an immigration hold.

“Our focus will remain on serving every member of the community and enforcing all applicable laws,” he said. “We want the community and victims of crimes to feel safe when calling the police department.”

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

Valley events calendar...

KTAR.com

Valley events calendar: Here’s a rundown of things to do around metro Phoenix

Our Valley events calendar keeps you up to date on the wide variety of activities across the Phoenix area.

15 minutes ago

The evacuation order for the Brady Fire was lifte on Wednesday....

KTAR.com

Evacuation order lifted for residents near Brady Fire south of Prescott

The evacuation order for a community threatened by the Brady Fire south of Prescott was lifted on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

2 hours ago

off-road vehicle crash...

Kevin Stone

2nd teen in off-road vehicle crash at Phoenix canal has died

The second teen involved in an off-road vehicle crash at a Phoenix canal last week has died, authorities announced Wednesday.

3 hours ago

Two men were injured on Wednesday night when a suspect opened fire at a group of unsheltered people...

Kevin Stone

Suspect opens fire at unsheltered people at Tempe park, injuring 3

Three people were injured on Wednesday night when a suspect opened fire at a group of unsheltered people in Tempe, authorities said.

3 hours ago

A confiscated firearm is seen sitting on a table at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Feb...

Serena O'Sullivan

Phoenix Sky Harbor hopes to cut down on amount of firearms in security checkpoints this year

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport officials are trying to educate passengers on how to at properly travel with firearms.

5 hours ago

The Phoenix Zoo announced a new habitat 'Big Cats of Arizona: A Bridge to Arizona Wilderness' will ...

Bailey Leasure

Big cats of Arizona habitat set to open at Phoenix Zoo

The Phoenix Zoo announced a new habitat 'Big Cats of Arizona: A Bridge to Arizona Wilderness' will be opening at the zoo in April. 

5 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Collins Comfort Masters: Your go-to plumbing experts in Arizona

Collins Comfort Masters, a trusted name in HVAC, water and plumbing since 1985, is you go-to plumbers for the residents of Phoenix and the Valley.

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Why a Heating Tune-Up is Essential Before Winter

PHOENIX, AZ — With cooler weather on the horizon, making sure your heating system is prepped and ready can make all the difference in staying comfortable this winter.

Police department launches in growing community of Queen Creek