The Phoenix Police Department has modified its pre-academy physical testing requirements while continuing a broader recruitment effort aimed at increasing the representation of women in police academy classes.
The department is participating in the national 30×30 Initiative, which seeks to have women represent at least 30% of police recruit classes by 2030.
Phoenix Police formally signed the 30×30 Pledge in January 2023. According to the department, the initiative includes examining recruitment, hiring, retention and departmental policies for potential barriers affecting women entering or remaining in law enforcement.
Phoenix Police Pursues 30% Female Recruit-Class Goal
During a Phoenix City Council discussion on police recruitment, Phoenix Police Commander Warren Brewer said increasing the number of female applicants and recruits remains a hiring focus.
“That is a focus for us hiring,” Brewer said. “Hopefully we will stay in the double digits when it comes to hiring the female applicants.”
Brewer said the department’s most recent academy class included 14 women, which he described as the highest number he had seen in a recruiting class during his time with the department. According to reporting on the council presentation, the following academy class had seven female recruits scheduled to enter.
The department’s stated goal under the 30×30 Initiative is not necessarily for women to constitute 30% of the entire Phoenix Police Department by 2030. Rather, the initiative’s stated national objective is for women to make up 30% of police recruit classes by that year.
Phoenix Police stated when it joined the initiative that women made up slightly more than 14% of its sworn ranks at the time, compared with a national average then reported at approximately 12%.
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Pre-Academy Physical Ability Standard Changed
Megan Avalos, assistant director for human resources for Phoenix Police, told city officials that the department has changed the time allowed during its pre-employment physical testing process.
“Pre-employment, we’re giving them an additional 12 seconds because they believe that they can get them ready for that test at the academy,” Avalos said.
According to information presented publicly and subsequently reported, candidates previously had to complete the pre-academy Physical Ability Test within two minutes and six seconds. The current pre-academy time limit was reported as two minutes and 20 seconds.
Those figures create an apparent discrepancy: increasing a time limit from 2:06 to 2:20 represents a 14-second difference, while Avalos described the adjustment as an additional 12 seconds. CopTalkLIVE has not independently identified an explanation for the two-second discrepancy.
The publicly reported information establishes that Phoenix changed its pre-academy physical testing standard while simultaneously pursuing its 30×30 recruitment goals. However, the available statements reviewed by CopTalkLIVE do not establish that Phoenix officials expressly said the additional testing time was adopted exclusively for female applicants.
What the Physical Ability Test Measures
According to Phoenix Police materials and public descriptions of the test, the Physical Ability Test is intended to simulate physical activities associated with police work.
Candidates may be required to perform tasks involving:
- Navigating obstacles, including barriers and confined areas;
- Short-distance pursuit movements and directional changes;
- Dragging a weighted mannequin or simulated victim;
- Lifting and transporting weighted equipment; and
- Completing the required sequence within the applicable time limit.
Phoenix Police continues to conduct Physical Ability Test sessions for recruit applicants and also offers physical-fitness preparation events for applicants preparing for the testing process.
What Is the 30×30 Initiative?
The 30×30 Initiative describes itself as a national effort to increase the representation and improve the experiences of women working in law enforcement.
Participating agencies pledge to examine several areas of their operations, including:
- Recruitment practices;
- Hiring and assessment procedures;
- Retention;
- Promotional processes;
- Workplace culture;
- Equipment and facilities; and
- Potential disparities affecting women in policing.
The pledge specifically directs participating agencies to make hiring, retaining and promoting qualified women a strategic priority. It also calls on departments to examine whether their assessments measure the knowledge, skills and abilities actually required to perform police work.
Phoenix Police initially joined more than 250 participating agencies when it signed the pledge in 2023. The initiative has since expanded to hundreds of participating law-enforcement organizations.
Arizona agencies identified by the 30×30 Initiative as participants have included Phoenix Police and multiple other state, county, municipal and university law-enforcement organizations.
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Phoenix Remains Hundreds of Officers Below Authorized Staffing
The recruitment changes are occurring while Phoenix Police continues to face a significant sworn staffing shortage.
The City of Phoenix has authorized the department for 3,125 sworn officers for several years. As of July 2026, Phoenix Police had 2,467 filled sworn positions and 127 recruits in its academy, according to recently reported staffing figures.
The reported July figures show:
- July 2024: 2,527 filled sworn positions;
- July 2025: 2,501 filled sworn positions;
- July 2026: 2,467 filled sworn positions.
Academy enrollment was reported as:
- July 2024: 70 recruits;
- July 2025: 135 recruits;
- July 2026: 127 recruits.
When sworn officers and recruits are combined, Phoenix reportedly had 2,594 personnel in those categories in July 2026, compared with 2,636 in July 2025 and 2,597 in July 2024.
The 2,467 sworn-officer figure leaves the department more than 650 officers below its authorized sworn staffing level of 3,125, although academy recruits could eventually reduce that deficit after completing training and becoming sworn officers.
Phoenix continues to actively recruit officers. A September 2026 City of Phoenix job posting advertises police recruit positions and a $7,500 hiring bonus for new recruits.
Applications Increase Despite Staffing Decline
Although the number of filled sworn positions has declined, Phoenix Police reported improvement in applications.
According to information presented by the department, year-to-date applications in 2026 were 9.6% higher than during the comparable period in 2025, and monthly application totals during 2026 had generally met or exceeded prior-year results.
Avalos told city officials that the department has also worked to streamline its recruitment and hiring system in an effort to keep applicants from dropping out during the process.
Those efforts have included recruitment events, applicant assistance and targeted outreach.
Phoenix Police has also specifically expanded outreach to women. In a January 2026 City Council report, the department said recruiters had worked with the Mayor’s Women’s Commission, attended a women’s career fair and made contact with women considering law-enforcement careers. The report also stated that a female commander had been designated to lead Phoenix’s continuing 30×30 efforts.
Councilmember Jim Waring Questions Explanation for Recruitment Problems
Phoenix Councilmember Jim Waring questioned whether administrative inefficiencies adequately explain the department’s continuing difficulties filling academy classes and sworn positions.
Waring said recruitment appeared “worse off” than it had been two years earlier and pointed to a significant change in police recruitment beginning around 2020.
“Something changed in 2020 that made people not want to be Phoenix police officers,” Waring said during the discussion.
Waring argued that Phoenix historically had been able to attract substantially larger academy classes without the recruitment effort currently required and suggested city officials should examine the broader reasons for the decline in applicants since 2020.
His comments represented his assessment of the department’s recruitment problem and did not constitute an official finding regarding the cause of Phoenix Police’s staffing shortage.
Current Status
As of September 2026, Phoenix Police remains committed to the 30×30 Initiative and continues recruiting both new police officers and lateral applicants.
The department has:
- Set a goal of having women represent 30% of recruit classes by 2030;
- Conducted recruitment efforts specifically designed to reach more female candidates;
- Modified the allowable completion time for its pre-academy physical testing;
- Reported increased applications during 2026; and
- Continued operating substantially below its authorized sworn staffing level.
The 30×30 Initiative itself does not instruct agencies simply to eliminate physical requirements. Its published pledge calls for agencies to examine whether assessments accurately measure the knowledge, skills, abilities and experiences required to perform police work and to revise assessments when they do not.
The ultimate academy and certification requirements applicable to recruits should therefore be distinguished from any modified standard used at the pre-employment stage.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phoenix Police trying to have women make up 30% of its entire police force by 2030?
The department’s stated 30×30 goal specifically concerns recruit classes. Phoenix Police says it seeks to increase women’s representation in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030.
Did Phoenix Police change its physical fitness requirements?
Phoenix officials have acknowledged changing the allowable completion time for the pre-employment Physical Ability Test. Avalos said applicants were being provided additional time during the pre-employment stage because officials believed recruits could be prepared to meet the required standard at the academy.
Did Phoenix Police say the physical-test change was specifically made for women?
The information reviewed by CopTalkLIVE shows that the test modification was discussed in the context of a broader presentation that included efforts to recruit more women. However, CopTalkLIVE has not identified a direct statement from Phoenix officials establishing that the increased time was applicable only to women or was adopted exclusively because of the 30×30 Initiative.
Are male and female applicants given different pre-employment time limits?
The information reviewed for this report does not establish separate male and female completion times. The publicly reported modification concerns the pre-employment testing standard generally.
How short is Phoenix Police on officers?
Phoenix Police reported 2,467 filled sworn positions as of July 2026 against an authorized staffing level of 3,125, leaving 658 authorized sworn positions unfilled at that point. The department also had 127 academy recruits who were not included in the filled sworn-officer figure.
Is Phoenix still hiring police officers?
Yes. The City of Phoenix continues advertising police recruit and lateral officer positions. Its September 2026 police-recruit posting also advertises a $7,500 hiring bonus for qualifying new recruits.
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