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8 | CANYON CORRIDOR CONNECTION 2016
Phoenix.gov/police
620 W. Washington St
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Q QGoals: What are your main goals as assistant chief?
A AWhen Chief Yahner gave me the honor of
promoting me to assistant chief, he entrusted
me and the rest of his team to implement his
vision for the department. There are three
specific areas that he asked me to focus on.
They are community engagement, hiring and
department training.
With regard to community engagement, I’m
working with a team of dedicated men and
women who are committed to demystifying
our profession and our department. We do
this in part by offering programs such as the
Citizens Police Academy, Police Academy
Experience, Cop for a Day and Behind
the Badge. We attend Coffee with a Cop
throughout the city, as well as countless other
formal and informal events that highlight
our commitment to our community. This
type of interaction allows us to establish
new relationships while enhancing existing
ones, which ultimately leads to genuine
collaboration and partnership.
With the support of the mayor, City Council
and the voters, we are excited to be actively
hiring police officers for the first time in a
number of years. So far this fiscal year, we’ve
added 114 new officers to our department.
We currently have over 70 recruits in the
Academy in various stages of training, and
we are starting new Academy classes every
month. We had nearly 900 individuals sign
up for our most recent recruit written exam,
which is incredibly exciting. One reason
why were are getting so many applicants is
because of the tireless work of our recruitment
team. Their efforts are attracting supremely
qualified applicants, while also helping to
ensure that the composition of the Phoenix
Police Department is reflective of the
community we serve.
Lastly, we have gone to great lengths to
provide world-class training to our officers.
The 40-hour, in-service training module
for all sworn personnel includes classroom
and reality-based training on such topics as
mental health disorders and response, crisis
communication, threat assessment and de-
escalation. In addition to the 40-hour module,
enhanced de-escalation training is currently
being provided, beginning with our Patrol
Division before being administered to the rest
of the department.
Q QCommunity: What does “community” mean to you?
A ATo me, community is defined by the incredibly
diverse and culturally rich residents who live
and work in this amazing city. My mother,
father and brother came to the United States
from Germany in search of the American
dream. They didn’t speak a word of English,
yet they fell in love with Phoenix and chose
to put down roots right here. I was born at
St. Joseph’s Hospital and I grew up less than
a mile from the GCU campus in a home
that my father built. I’ve been fortunate to
see the amazing transformation of Grand
Canyon and the surrounding neighborhoods
firsthand. I consider myself to be so fortunate
to have been raised on the Westside. I’m an
unapologetically proud Phoenician and I feel
exceptionally privileged to work in and with
our community every day.
Q QOfficer Reduction: How can the community immediately
better work with the Phoenix Police Department to be
successful during this time of reduction in officers? Do
you see this changing in the near future?
A AThere isn’t a single entity or organization
that has all the resources or all the solutions.
To ensure that Phoenix continues to be the
wonderful, vibrant, safe city that it is today,
we must commit to working together. By
creating a shared vision for our city and then
working side-by-side to bring that vision
to fruition, there’s nothing that we can’t
accomplish together.
So, the simple answer is that we need our
residents to get involved. Block Watch,
Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol and the
C.O.P.S. Volunteer Program are three ways for
residents to enhance safety and security in our
city. Get to know your precinct Community
Action Officers, the Community Relations
Bureau Community Engagement and
Outreach Team. For more information and
ideas, I encourage folks to go to the Phoenix
An Interview
with Executive
Assistant Police
Chief Michael
Kurtenbach
by Faith Weese
Executive Assistant Police Chief
Michael Kurtenbach
Q&A CITY LEADERSHIP