Phoenix PD recruiting gains momentum as ICE hiring poses new challenge

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix Police Department is more than 650 positions short, but new data shows the number of applicants is trending upward.

Every month in 2025 saw more applicants than the same month in 2024, and department officials say hiring has doubled in the last two years.

Commander William Jou, who leads the Community and Employee Resource Bureau, credited recruiting strategies tailored to younger applicants, including the use of social media and text messaging.

“Because today’s generation wants answers today and now, and we want to provide those answers as fast as possible,” Jou said.

Department says federal hiring has not hurt recruitment

The department has seen a gradual decline in filled positions since 2022. Despite that, Jou said Phoenix has not felt the effects of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s expanded hiring push.

“Last year we had over 5,000 applications to our department, and that is the most we’ve seen in the last three to four years,” Jou said. “I don’t believe that there’s any impact in terms of federal partners taking officers from us.”

Policing expert warns ICE competition is a real threat

Michael White, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said the nationwide police staffing shortage traces back to 2020.

“I think there were a lot of factors in play, certainly the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed that,” White said.

Six years later, White said agencies across the country are still recovering. He said ICE’s current hiring surge is now posing a new threat.

“There is no question in my mind about the ICE hiring process — the fact that they’re hiring so many people is siphoning good prospective employees away from local law enforcement,” White said.

$50,000 sign-on bonus, easier entry draw recruits to ICE

President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” allows ICE to offer up to a $50,000 sign-on bonus to new recruits. White said the financial incentive is not the only factor drawing candidates away from local departments.

“The ICE hiring process is expedited. It used to be very difficult to get jobs in federal law enforcement, but now getting a job in ICE doesn’t seem to be very difficult at all,” White said.

White said he believes the impact on local departments will be short-lived.

“People enter policing because they want to help. They want a job that’s a service profession where they can help people. And that’s not what ICE is doing,” White said.

How to apply to the Phoenix Police Department

To join the Phoenix Police Department, applicants must be at least 21 years old at the time of academy graduation and meet physical fitness standards. Candidates must also pass a polygraph, medical exam, and psychological evaluation.

More details are available here.

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