Phoenix Police Risk Loss of Officers In Parts of City
By Madeline Bates PHOENIX–The City of Phoenix Police Department currently faces a shortage of over 400 police officers. While many claim that this shortage comes from a rise of anti-police discourse, coverage varies in different parts of the city. Republican councilmember Jim Waring is in direct support of the Phoenix Police Department and is disheartened by the rhetoric that the media has around police. “Pull a tape of any council meeting between 2019-2021 there probably wasn’t a meeting where someone wasn’t screaming at the officers,” Waring said. He explained further that members of the public took it as far as screaming threats to officers, saying that “Most of the [council] members just sat there and let it go on.” Waring is part of the many who have seen how the ‘Defund the Police’ movement has affected the well-being of many major cities across the country. A Facebook group titled “Phoenix Police Violence Victims” has 600 members and counting since its founding in 2019. The group was founded by Marti Winkler, a Phoenix woman who suffered severe injuries after an altercation with a police officer in 2019. Winkler called the police seven times after buying a lottery ticket after claiming that she had been charged the wrong amount at checkout. When an officer arrived at the scene, employees of the Circle K alleged that she was trespassing. In a 2019 Facebook post Winkler wrote “I was almost killed by Jason Gillespie after I called Phoenix Police to file a police report on what the Circle K 701 E Bethany Home…” Bethany Home and 19th Ave is only a few blocks away from Indian School Rd and I-17–an intersection that AZ Central named “Phoenix’s epicenter of crime.” This has seen numerous daily reports of different types of crimes including assault, theft, arson and even homicide. While crime is an issue every city faces, police forces find it easier to mitigate issues with a full team of staff. ASU Police Public Information Officer Adam Wolfe explained that their force is currently fully staffed, but they still face the uncertainties of anti-police discourse. “We try to create a dialogue that not every department can,” Wolfe said. He explained that a campus police force of around 100 officers doesn’t face the struggles of a city-wide force. ASU police employs officers from across the country and regularly holds forums to make communication accessible. Waring also said that this issue comes from an undesirable wage. According to the City of Phoenix, new recruits are paid over $70,000 annually with an additional $7500 hiring bonus for all new officers. With time, this salary can increase to over $107,000 annually including paid leave, education reimbursement, and additional pay for bilingual and overnight work. “Misguided politics and policies have led us to this point and I’m furious,” Waring said. Waring said he felt like his district was being punished for not having a police presence. The anger is shared by Winkler as she wrote “That's what they do. They victimize the victim, blaming them for everything.” Phoenix Police did not accept an interview.
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