Outgoing interim Phoenix PD chief praises wins but says challenges remain

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — On his last day on the job, former Phoenix Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan sat down with Arizona’s Family. It comes over a week after he announced he withdrew his name from the final four candidates for the permanent position.

The city manager has now reopened the recruiting process, starting from scratch to find a new police chief. “I think we’re going to a different phase in the city of Phoenix and I truly think I’ve instituted a lot of change,” Sullivan said. “I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish here. You know, I came here as a change agent and I think that’s exactly what I’ve done during my time here.”

He arrived in Phoenix in 2022, during a year-long civil rights investigation into the police department. Since then, he’s made multiple policy changes, including when officers can use violence or physical force. “I have confidence that the use of force policy that we have in place now, we’ll make sure that we use force and when we use force, that we are accountable for it and it’s being used in the proper way,” Sullivan explained.

But not everyone has agreed with Sullivan’s changes. “We’ve seen surveys from within the police department with officers’ feedback being that they did not want you to have this position permanently. Was that part of the reason why you decided to resign?” asked Arizona’s Family reporter Alexis Dominguez.

“Those surveys represent about one-third of the department. I can tell you that’s not the consistent feel that I get when I go out and I talk to the women and men that do this work, the professional staff and the sworn members,” Sullivan answered.

“Where do you think that disconnect was?” Dominguez followed up.

“I think that’s a question that you would have to ask, you know, the folks that took those surveys, you know obviously I looked at them. There’s opportunities to always self-reflect. In this next phase, I think there’s opportunities to continue the work that’s already done,” he answered.

“What are some of the challenges you foresee the incoming chief having?” asked Dominguez.

“We’ve been talking about overtime and being able to manage overtime, being able to manage the staffing challenges that that are out there and you know, those are two of the the big pieces and then continuing to push forward the the continuous improvement reform efforts that are already in progress,” Sullivan answered.

Sullivan admits the department is short 600 officers. However, he said they’ve been able to make positive strides. “We have right around 2,500-ish right now, but we just hired the largest class in the last five years with over 40 folks. I swore in four laterals yesterday. So we’ve seen an uptick in applications and folks entering the academy over the next over the last several classes,” he explained.

With the search for a permanent chief beginning all over again, the city manager hopes to name the new police chief in July. The acting police chief is Dennis Orender, a 32-year veteran of the department.

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