Community Alert: Review and Comment on PPD’s Draft Policy on Homelessness—Deadline December 13, 2025

The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) has published a new draft policy, Document 3222090, which outlines guidelines for how rank and file officers should interact with individuals experiencing homelessness. This is a critical document that will shape public spaces, law enforcement, and community safety in the city for years to come.

We urge all Shaw Butte residents and concerned citizens to review the draft policy, available here: https://public.powerdms.com/PhoenixPD/documents/3222090.

Public comment is open until December 13, 2025.

A Need for Clarity: Guarding Against Policies That Tie Officers’ Hands

While new policies are often drafted with humanitarian intentions, our community must be vigilant to ensure that new regulations do not inadvertently compromise public safety or restrict the ability of patrol officers to enforce laws that protect the quality of life for ordinary residents.

There is significant apprehension that policies intended to offer specialized treatment to any group might be misinterpreted by officers on the street as limiting their discretion to address health, safety, and public nuisance issues. Rank and file patrol officers must retain the clear authority to manage public spaces and respond to vagrancy concerns effectively.

Many in our community feel that if a policy is not crystal clear about prioritizing public safety and the protection of shared public amenities, the result may be inaction on the street, leading to a diminished quality of life for taxpaying citizens.

Sample Comment for Concerned Residents

To assist residents who wish to submit feedback on this complex topic, we are sharing a sample comment that articulates a common concern regarding the balance between compassion and enforcement:

I empathize with individuals experiencing homelessness, I believe they should be treated with dignity, and I believe their civil rights should be protected. However—I strongly oppose any policy that could reasonably be interpreted by rank and file police officers as either: granting rights or protections to individuals experiencing homelessness which are not typically granted to ordinary citizens, limiting (in any way) officers' discretion with regard to contact with individuals experiencing homelessness; or enforcement of laws or ordinances which protect ordinary citizens against the health, safety, or public nuisance effects associated with individuals experiencing homelessness, or vagrancy in general. For the purposes of this comment, "vagrancy" should be understood as a descriptor of behavior—specifically loitering, congregation, or other conduct that creates nuisance or safety concerns in public spaces—and not as an immutable characteristic or identity of an individual.

In particular, any formal policy on this topic should contain clear unambiguous language explicitly authorizing officers to: take all reasonable measures to protect ordinary citizens from the health, safety, or public nuisance effects associated with individuals experiencing homelessness, or vagrancy in general; and specifically guarding against these negative effects on shared public amenities such as parks and public transit.

Low and moderate income citizens who rely on shared public amenities like parks for no-cost recreation and public transit for low-cost transportation often absorb the highest share of the negative impacts related to vagrancy, and as a matter of equity these public services must be strongly protected against those negative impacts.

The rights of individuals experiencing homelessness to exist in public spaces must not be prioritized over the rights of ordinary citizens to access those public spaces. It is essential to recognize that public access is obstructed not only by physical encampments (tents, carts, bicycles, etc.) but also by congregations or assemblies of vagrants that impact the perceived safety, security, or cleanliness of the public space.

We encourage you to use the above text, or your own concerns, as the basis for your official comment to the Phoenix Police Department before the December 13, 2025 deadline.

Link to Policy Survey: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=XGm5lg5PvUKK37p1V2A0a8RNxvbjfKxPgCzoEKYTBcxUMU1UN0YzUjBWVVdXRDJGTkpQMkRaOTc3OC4u