The Phoenix Police Department is planning to reinstate its community relations bureau. The department is working to do so with a federal grant.
The money would be dedicated to add 25 officers to the unit over the next few years. Police spokesman Trent Crump said the bureau was dismantled during the recession.
“As things have evolved across the country in the past few months, it was important for us to … rebuild that as quickly as we can so we can keep the trust of our community.”
Officers in this bureau investigate bias-related graffiti crimes and work with businesses and youth to reduce violence. Crump said the department is in the process of hiring a total of 300 new officers across all bureaus.
