About the Mesa
Police Department
The Mesa Police Department is a full service police department entrusted with providing police
and municipal security services for the City of Mesa, the third largest city in
Arizona. In Morgan Quitno’s “City Crime Rankings,”
13th Edition (2005 data) of cities with a population over 75,000, Mesa was ranked 191 out of 371 on the safest cities list.
In 2007 the Mesa Police Department, under the direction
of a new chief of police, began a process of reorganization. “The new reorganization divided the
department by function into the Office of Operations and the Office of Support Services. It also built in a higher level of
accountability for commanders and supervisors, because they now control most of the resources necessary to fight crime or
support the crime-fighting mission. Under the reorganization, most detectives were redeployed from centralized units to the
four geographical stations. This not only allowed detectives to work alongside patrol officers in their crime-fighting efforts,
but allowed detectives to have more interaction with the community.
Changes also occurred in the Office of Support Services. Most notable was the appointment of two
civilians to the rank of commander in the Financial Services and Technical Services Divisions. The Emergency
Services Division was created to improve emergency preparedness and the department’s ability to identify and respond
to terrorism or large scale events. Under the direction of a commander who reports directly the chief of police, the Emergency
Services Division of the Mesa Police Department also provides effective emergency planning. The Emergency
Services Division of the Mesa Police Department’s Counterterrorism Unit monitors and develops intelligence information
and liaisons with state and federal agencies on terrorism issues.
The reorganization of the department was a monumental step in a shift of culture within the organization
that will have a substantial impact on how department employees carry out their crime-fighting mission in the future. COMPSTAT
and other management systems will provide insight into whether additional changes or refinements are necessary.”
cityofmesa.org/police/reports
