Arizona Police Departments Hiring More Civilian Investigators

Baltimore police made national headlines in April when the city leaders announced they planned to hire 35 civilian investigators and eliminate 30 unfilled sworn officer positions. Now, Arizona police are doing the same thing.

The movement has gained steam recently as departments across the country try to shore up their dwindling ranks of sworn officers. At the time, the Phoenix department had more than 400 unfilled positions for sworn officers.

Civilian investigators have many of the same duties as an officer, such as reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses, taking reports and carrying out administrative tasks at the office. Unlike sworn officers, Davis said, they aren’t authorized to carry a firearm or make arrests.

Unlike a patrol officer, criminal investigation specialists at a crime scene know their suspects are “long gone.” While officers wear black uniforms, these are often gray.

Since civilian investigators are not expected to be in the field as much as patrol officers, they undergo lighter training than sworn officers and learn tactics specific to their bureau. The Phoenix civilian investigator position will be the first job that allows civilians to carry out many of the same tasks as detectives and police officers.

Although patrol officers have a lot of liability and must deal “with a lot of people who just do not like the police—I don’t have to deal with any of that.” said Shannon O’Leary, a new civilian investigator.

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