Phoenix Police Crime Reduction Plan for 2024 adds youth violence, fentanyl, traffic

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Police Department released an updated Crime Reduction Plan for 2024 on Tuesday, building on a comprehensive strategy unveiled a year ago.

The department made changes in response to trends that have emerged since the initial version was released in June 2023, interim Chief Michael Sullivan told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.

As a result, the 2024 plan addresses youth violence, traffic and fentanyl-related crime, none of which were mentioned in last year’s version.

Why is data important in Phoenix Crime Reduction Plan?

Sullivan said the department continues to deal with staffing challenges, increasing the importance of following a data-driven plan of action.

“We have to be smart with our deployments, we’ve learned from last year, and we’re continuing to dial that in, making sure that we’re putting our officers in the right places at the right times to be able to affect crime,” he said. “Those are some of the things that you’ll see this year.”

The plan’s four priority areas didn’t change from last year: the most violent people, the most active places, prohibited possessors and violent offenders with outstanding arrest warrants.

“You gotta have a plan, and you got to practice it, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re giving our folks the guidelines of what we expect, and we’re focusing on the basics,” Sullivan said.

How does Phoenix Police Crime Reduction Plan measure success?

Continuing the sports analogy, Sullivan said the department is keeping score. The 2024 Crime Reduction Plan lays out the following five goals for measuring performance:

• Reduce violent crimes by 5% and property crimes by 8%.
• Increase apprehensions for the sale and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine by 3%.
• Reduce juvenile violent crime rates by 5%.
• Increase the use of technology to assist with lowering crime, including drones, license plate readers and gun-shot detection equipment.
• Reduce fatality and serious injury collisions by 5%.

Last year’s plan had the same goals for violent crime and property crime reduction, but the other goals are new for 2024.

The department surpassed last year’s goal for property crime, which fell by 13% in Phoenix, according to data provided in the new plan. But it fell just short of the violent crime reduction goal.

“We didn’t hit our goals last year. We asked for a 5% reduction in violent crime; we got a 4% reduction. I’ve challenged the team again to go for another 5% in violent crime and 8% in property crime, and I think we’ll get there,” Sullivan said.

Interim chief credits public for helping reduce Phoenix crime

Sullivan started working as Phoenix’s interim police chief in September 2022, after Jeri Williams retired. He was hired to lead the department through the completion of an ongoing federal civil rights investigation.

He said the community has played a large role in crime reduction.

“The time that I’ve been here, almost two years, the community engagement in Phoenix has been incredible. … We have a public that is not willing to be satisfied with disorder and crime in their neighborhoods,” he said.

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