Phoenix Police Reserve Academy Class R71 Graduates

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

August 6, 2020

The newest class of Phoenix Police reserve officers walked across the graduation stage Thursday, and into their jobs serving the City of Phoenix.

Reserve officers are full-authority officers with the same training, uniform, and duties as career police officers, but they are volunteers who continue working in full-time careers.

Among the eight women and men that graduated Thursday, there was an assistant headmaster and teacher, a chemical engineer, a regional supply chain leader, and several other careers represented. The eight new reserve officers will continue to do those jobs, but also find time to serve their city.

"We come from varied backgrounds," one new reserve officer said. "A lot of the skills that we rely on in the private sector are people skills. And that translates perfectly into what we're about to start and embark on right now."

In the past year, reserve officers performed nearly 40,000 hours of volunteer police service at an estimated savings of more than three million dollars to the city.

"We're probably needed now more than ever in this current climate," another new reserve said. "I think for me and my seven classmates, volunteering to do it hopefully speaks to the passion that we have to want to make our community better."

If you are interested in becoming a reserve officer, you can learn more at phoenixpolicereserve.org.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.