Phoenix Narrows Down Police Chief Search to Three Finalists as Public Forum is Scheduled for Community Engagement

The City of Phoenix has tightened its circle of candidates for the new Police Chief, releasing names of the three finalists who emerged from a nationwide search. According to the official City of Phoenix announcement, the process has been exhaustive with a recruitment starting back in December and a previous round not yielding a suitable candidate. Each finalist brings a substantial law enforcement background to the table, promising a strong leadership for the Phoenix Police Department.

Coming from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the finalists were vetted through stakeholder listening sessions, gathering insights from various community leaders and business groups on the desired qualities for the department's top leader, PERF and city officials worked side by side to whittle down the contenders and held semi-finalist interviews on June 3. After this diligent process, Malik Aziz, Matthew Giordano, and Mirtha V. Ramos stood distinguished from their peers, thanks to their extensive experience in large-city law enforcement and their educational backgrounds which includes Malik Aziz's tenure as Chief of Prince George’s County Police Department and Matthew Giordano serving as Executive Director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, along with Mirtha V. Ramos who has been leading the DeKalb County Police Department in Georgia since 2019.

An opportunity for the Phoenix community to interact with these prospects comes on Monday, June 16, during a public forum scheduled for 5 pm at the Phoenix City Council Chambers, an event announced to also broadcast on PHXTV and be streamed live on YouTube.

Feedback from the Phoenix community remains important, with a Call-to-Action remaining open for submissions, as the City invites further comments and potential questions for the contenders through a Community Survey, as well as in Spanish through the 'Encuesta de la comunidad', the final announcement of the permanent Police Chief is anticipated in July following this civic engagement. To learn more about the selection process or to inquire further, Deputy City Manager David Mathews is available for interviews, requests to be directed to Kim Martin for scheduling.