Phoenix chief of police addresses rise in violent crime against officers

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams addressed a significant rise in rates of violent crime against law enforcement officers during an in-studio interview on Monday. Williams talked about how in Phoenix alone, there has been a 31% increase in violence against officers. “It’s a disturbing trend and it isn’t just here. It’s across the country. At the end of the day, men and women are standing in the gap to protect our community, and this is just unacceptable,” Williams said.

Chief Williams highlighted where two Phoenix officers were shot at while in their patrol car on Sunday. “It’s that call in the middle of the night that you never want to get with a code indicating one of your officers has been injured,” Chief Williams said. “You want your employees to be safe. At the same time, you want your community to be safe. It’s unacceptable.” Both officers have been released from the hospital.

There is a bright side, however. During a recent recruiting round, over 70 individuals showed up. Williams said that it was “the first time that’s happened in the past two years”. Recruitment workers handed out around 50 background checks to interested people. The department is currently hiring on many different positions. For more information, click here.

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