Tempe Mayor Establishes New Public Safety Task Force

PHOENIX — Tempe Mayor Corey Woods announced Thursday the formation of a new public safety task force to examine and innovate policing in the city. The group will specifically focus on how the Tempe Police Department engages with people of color and those with mental health challenges.

Woods was sworn in as mayor on July 2. He then proposed the idea of the task force to the Tempe City Council at a retreat Aug. 7, according to a news release. The country has increased scrutiny on its police departments in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, with many calling to defund police departments or change the way they operate.

“Just as there is a robust national discussion on this topic and examinations happening in many cities across our country, so too is it time for Tempe to have collaborative discussions in this vitally important area,” Woods said in a statement.

The Tempe Police Department has a complicated history. In January, the family of a 14-year-old boy shot in the back in 2019 by an officer sued the department, charging the officer with negligence and wrongful death. The department settled in June with Antonio Arce's family and awarded them $2 million, according to the Arizona Republic. Arce had been shot by an officer as he ran carrying a non-lethal airsoft gun.

The advisory group will focus on data, policies, hiring, use of technologies, training and how the city engages with people who are Black, Indigenous and people of color, and those with mental health challenges. It will identify or create polices that "build trust, accountability and dialogue between the community and the police department," the release said.

The group's members will be chosen by Woods and the city council and will likely include community members and police officers. The city has also recently rolled out The Right To Breath initiative, which will determine how Tempe can proactively create equal opportunities for youth of color and members of vulnerable communities.

The city said more details, like who will be named to the advisory group, will be released soon.