Why Is Choosing the Right Private Security Company Critical in Phoenix, Arizona? Explore Reliable Protection Services Now!
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Navigating Legal Regulations and Compliance in Phoenix
In the bustling city of Phoenix, Arizona, choosing the right private security company is not just a matter of preference but a crucial decision that impacts the safety and security of individuals and businesses alike. Why Is Choosing the Right Private Security Company Critical in Phoenix, Arizona? Explore Reliable Protection Services Now! . Rapid With the citys vibrant economy and growing population, the need for reliable protection services is more significant than ever. However, navigating the legal regulations and compliance necessary to operate within the law in Phoenix adds another layer of complexity to this decision.
Phoenix, being a major metropolitan area, has its unique set of challenges and risks. From property crimes to business-related threats, the landscape of security concerns is as diverse as the city itself. Teams This is where the importance of selecting a private security company that not only understands these challenges but also operates in full compliance with local laws and regulations comes into play.
Compliance with legal standards is not just about following rules; its about ensuring that the security services provided are both effective and ethical. A private security company that skimps on legal compliance might offer lower rates, but the risk of unprofessional conduct (and the potential legal repercussions that follow) can end up costing much more in the long run.
For instance, in Phoenix, private security companies must adhere to regulations set by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. These regulations mandate proper training and certification of security personnel. Skipping these requirements might lead to hiring underqualified staff, potentially jeopardizing the safety of those they are meant to protect.
Moreover, a compliant company ensures that all operations are carried out within the framework of the law, protecting clients from liability. Imagine a scenario where a non-compliant security firm improperly handles a situation, leading to unnecessary force or a violation of privacy. Such incidents can embroil clients in legal challenges that tarnish reputations and incur financial losses.
Therefore, when choosing a private security company in Phoenix, its essential to verify their compliance with all applicable laws and standards. Asking for their licensing information, details about staff training, and how they handle legal compliance should be part of your vetting process.
Dont settle for less when it comes to safety! By choosing a legally compliant and reliable private security company, you not only safeguard physical assets but also ensure peace of mind knowing that the firm you rely on operates ethically and responsibly under the stringent eyes of the law. Explore reliable protection services now and make an informed decision that aligns with both your security needs and legal expectations.
Customizable Security Services to Meet Diverse Needs
When considering the importance of selecting the right private security company in Phoenix, Arizona, its essential to consider how customizable security services can meet the diverse needs of various clients. Phoenix, being a major metropolitan area, exhibits a spectrum of security challenges that range from residential burglaries to commercial break-ins and even large-scale event protection. Therefore, picking a security company that offers flexibility and tailored solutions is not just beneficial; its critical.
Every client (be it a homeowner, a business owner, or an event organizer) has unique security concerns. What works for a residential area might not be suitable for a retail business. For instance, while a homeowner might require more intensive nighttime patrols and advanced alarm systems, a retail business owner might need high-quality surveillance cameras and onsite guards during business hours. The ability to customize these services is crucial for addressing the specific vulnerabilities of each scenario.
Moreover, choosing the right private security firm in Phoenix does not only hinge on the provision of flexible and varied services. The reliability and professionalism of the service they provide are equally important. A reliable security company employs well-trained, experienced personnel who are adept at dealing with a variety of situations. These professionals must be capable of assessing risks and responding effectively to ensure the safety and security of the property and people they are hired to protect.
Imagine the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your security needs are comprehensively covered, tailored specifically to your circumstances and managed by experts! Thats why its significant to explore reliable protection services now. The right security partner will not only deter potential threats but also provide a sense of safety that's priceless.
In conclusion, the criticality of choosing the right private security company in Phoenix cannot be overstated. With the right partner, you can ensure that customizable security solutions are in place to meet your diverse needs, backed by a team of experts ready to protect what matters most to you. Dont settle for a one-size-fits-all solution; make sure your security services are as unique as your needs.
The Importance of Local Expertise in Security Operations
Choosing the right private security company in Phoenix, Arizona, is not a task to be taken lightly.
Why Is Choosing the Right Private Security Company Critical in Phoenix, Arizona? Explore Reliable Protection Services Now! - Assessment
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The unique security challenges faced in Phoenix, from the bustling urban centers to the quieter, sprawling outskirts, require a deep understanding of the local environment.
Why Is Choosing the Right Private Security Company Critical in Phoenix, Arizona? Explore Reliable Protection Services Now! - Access
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Thats where the importance of local expertise really shines in security operations.
Local expertise means more than just knowing the geography of Phoenix. Its about understanding the community, the people, and the specific security threats that are prevalent in different areas. A local security company, such as Reliable Protection Services, brings invaluable insights into the typical patterns of crime and the most effective preventive measures. They have a pulse on the city's rhythm and can predict potential security breaches more accurately than a company without local roots.
Moreover, the relationship between local security services and local law enforcement can be a crucial factor. These relationships, built over years of collaboration and mutual respect, ensure a quicker response and a more coordinated approach during emergencies. Executives In the high-stress moments following a security incident, having a security company that can effectively communicate and collaborate with the Phoenix police can make all the difference.
Another significant benefit of choosing a local security company is their ability to offer tailor-made security solutions. In Phoenix, where the needs of a commercial establishment in downtown might vastly differ from a residential community in Mesa, customization is key. Reliable Protection Services understands this diversity and can adapt their services to meet the specific needs and expectations of each client. Whether its patrol services, armed guards, or advanced surveillance technology, they can offer the right mix of security measures.
However, its not just about the services offered. The reputation of a security company is also built on the trust and reliability perceived by the community. Access A local company (like Reliable Protection Services) has a reputation that they strive to uphold by providing consistent, high-quality services. This can give peace of mind to businesses and residents alike, knowing that their security is in capable hands.
In conclusion, the importance of local expertise in security operations cannot be overstated, especially in a city as dynamic and diverse as Phoenix, Arizona. Choosing the right private security company-like Reliable Protection Services, with its deep local knowledge and strong community ties-can make a significant difference in how security challenges are managed. Dont wait until its too late! Explore what Reliable Protection Services can do for you today!
Evaluating Customer Feedback and Company Reputation
When it comes to choosing the right private security company in Phoenix, Arizona, evaluating customer feedback and the company's reputation is not just important-its critical. Private security companies play a vital role in safeguarding properties, events, and individuals. However, the effectiveness of their service greatly depends on their credibility and the satisfaction of their previous clients.
Firstly, customer feedback is a valuable resource for gauging a companys reliability and efficiency. In Phoenix, where the demand for private security is high due to various factors (including the citys size and crime statistics), the experiences shared by other clients provide insightful data. When people talk about their experiences, whether through online reviews or personal recommendations, they shed light on several aspects such as the responsiveness, professionalism, and the actual security outcomes of the services provided. While it's essential to consider positive reviews, negative feedback can also offer critical insights into potential weaknesses or challenges faced by the security company.
Moreover, the overall reputation of a private security company speaks volumes. A well-regarded security provider not only has commendable reviews but also a solid track record of cooperation with local law enforcement, and compliance with state regulations. It's crucial to research how these companies handle various situations (like emergency responses or conflict de-escalation), because these details reflect their operational standards and effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
However, its important to note that reviews and reputations should be considered judiciously. Sometimes, reviews can be biased or might not fully reflect the companys capabilities. Therefore, potential clients should look for consistency in positive feedback and be wary of companies with irregular or suspiciously uniform reviews.
In conclusion, choosing the right private security company in Phoenix is a decision that should be made with careful consideration of customer feedback and company reputation. This approach ensures that you entrust your safety to a provider that is not only equipped to meet your specific needs but is also highly regarded by its previous clients. Remember, the right security company doesn't just offer protection; it provides peace of mind! So why not explore reliable protection services now?
A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by an organisation or individual to protect their employer's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety of hazards (such as crime, waste, damages, unsafe worker behavior, etc.) by enforcing preventative measures. Security guards do this by maintaining a high-visibility presence to deter illegal and inappropriate actions, looking (either directly through patrols, or indirectly by monitoring alarm systems or video surveillance cameras) for signs of crime or other hazards (such as a fire), taking action to minimize damage (such as warning and escorting trespassers off property), and reporting any incidents to their clients and emergency services (such as the police or emergency medical services), as appropriate.[1]
Security officers are generally uniformed to represent their lawful authority to protect private property. Security guards are generally governed by legal regulations, which set out the requirements for eligibility (such as a criminal record check) and the permitted authorities of a security guard in a given jurisdiction. The authorities permitted to security guards vary by country and subnational jurisdiction. Security officers are hired by a range of organizations, including businesses, government departments and agencies and not-for-profit organizations (e.g., churches and charitable organizations).
Until the 1980s, the term watchman was more commonly applied to this function, a usage dating back to at least the Middle Ages. This term was carried over to North America where it was interchangeable with night watchman until both terms were replaced with the modern security-based titles. Security officers are sometimes regarded as fulfilling a private policing function.
Functions and duties
Bodyguard protects Members of Parliament during public visits by visitors in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic in 2015.Private guard escort on a merchant ship providing security services against pirates.
Many security firms and proprietary security departments practice the "detect, deter, observe and report" method. Security officers are usually not required to make arrests, but have the authority to make a citizen's arrest and detain them, or otherwise act as an agent of law enforcement, for example, at the request of a police officer or a sheriff. Some security officers may also be armed, with functions similar to an auxiliary police.
A private security officer's responsibility is protecting their client from a variety of hazards (usually in the form of criminal acts). Security personnel enforce company rules and can act to protect lives and property, and they sometimes have a contractual obligation to provide these actions. In addition to basic deterrence, security officers are often trained to perform specialized tasks such as arrest and control (including handcuffing and restraints), operate emergency equipment, perform first aid, CPR, take accurate notes, write detailed reports, and perform other tasks as required by the client they are serving. All security officers are also required to go through additional training mandated by the state for the carrying of weapons such as batons, firearms, and pepper spray (e.g. the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services in California has requirements that a license for each item listed must be carried while on duty).[2] Some officers are required to complete police certification for special duties. In recent years, due to elevated threats of terrorism, most security officers are required to have bomb-threat training and/or emergency crisis training, especially those located in soft target areas such as shopping malls, schools, and any other area where the general public congregate. One major economic justification for security personnel is that insurance companies (particularly fire insurance carriers) will give substantial rate discounts to sites which have a 24-hour presence. For a high risk or high-value property, the discount can often exceed the money being spent on its security program. Discounts are offered because having security on site increases the odds that any fire will be noticed and reported to the local fire department before a total loss occurs. Also, the presence of security officers (particularly in combination with effective security procedures) tends to diminish "shrinkage", theft, employee misconduct, and safety rule violations, property damage, or even sabotage. Many casinos hire security officers to protect money when transferring it from the casino to the casino's bank.
Security personnel may also perform access control at building entrances and vehicle gates; meaning, they ensure that employees and visitors display proper passes or identification before entering the facility. Security officers are called upon to respond to potential hazards (such as broken lights or doors, disturbances, lost persons, minor injuries, etc.) and to assist in serious emergencies (medicals, fires, crime, etc.) by securing the scene to prevent further loss or damage, summoning emergency responders to the incident, helping to redirect foot traffic to safe locations, and by documenting what happened on an incident report to give their client an idea of how to prevent similar situations from occurring. Armed security officers are frequently contracted to respond as law enforcement until a given situation at a client location is under control and/or public authorities arrive on the scene.
Patrolling is usually a large part of a security officer's duties, as most incidents are prevented by being looked for instead of waiting for them to occur. Often these patrols are logged by use of a guard tour patrol system, which require regular patrols. Until recently the most commonly used form used to be mechanical clock systems that required a key for manual punching of a number to a strip of paper inside with the time pre-printed on it. But recently, electronic systems have risen in popularity due to their lightweight, ease of use, and downloadable logging capabilities.[3] Regular patrols are, however, becoming less accepted as an industry standard, as it provides predictability for the would-be criminal, as well as monotony for the security officer on duty. Random patrols are easily programmed into electronic systems, allowing greater freedom of movement and unpredictability. Global positioning systems are beginning to be used because they are a more effective means of tracking officers' movements and behavior.
Personnel
Although security officers differ from police officers, military personnel, federal agents/officers, and the like, Australia and the United States have a growing proportion of security personnel that has former police or military experience, including senior management personnel.[citation needed] On the other hand, some security officers, young people, in particular, use the job as a practical experience to use in applying to law enforcement agencies.[citation needed]
Types of personnel and companies
Mallparking lot security guards (Satpam) in Jakarta, IndonesiaA security guard protecting the entrance to an apartment building, and managing the parking of cars in Haikou, Hainan Province, China
Security personnel are classified as one of the following:
"In-house" or "proprietary" (i.e. employed by the same company or organization they protect, such as a mall, theme park, or casino); formerly often called works police or security police in the United Kingdom.
"Security supervisor", meets with clients and employees as necessary to ensure client and employee satisfaction.
"Scheduler (or Account Manager),"Security Officer assignment and strategic scheduling resulting in client satisfaction, employee retention and cost maintained within District financial plans.[4]
"Human Resources Manager", effective delivery of human resources services such as employment, employee/labor relations, compensation, benefits administration, training and development, workers' compensation, and audit compliance. Maintains and implements corporate policies and programs related to employment.[5]
"Client Service Manager", promotes financial growth for the District by ensuring client retention, Security Officer retention, and support for the development of new business.[6]
"Client Service Supervisor", provides security services for designated clients resulting in customer satisfaction, Security Officer retention, and financial growth for the District. Provides service in a large and complex area.[7]
"Contract", working for a private security company which protects many locations.
"Public Security", a person employed or appointed as an (usually armed) security officer by a government or government agency.
State and local governments sometimes regulate the use of these terms by law—for example, certain words and phrases that "give an impression that he or she is connected in any way with the federal government, a state government, or any political subdivision of a state government" are forbidden for use by California security licensees by Business and Professions Code Section 7582.26. So the terms "private homicide police" or "special agent" would be unlawful for a security licensee to use in California. Similarly, in Canada, various acts[11][12] specifically prohibits private security personnel from using the terms Probation Officer, law enforcement, police, or police officer.
Alberta and Ontario prohibit the use of the term Security Officer, which has been in widespread use in the United States for many decades. Recent changes to the act have also introduced restrictions on uniform and vehicle colours and markings to make private security personnel clearly distinctive from police personnel. Some sources feel that some of these restrictions are put in place to satisfy the Canadian Police Association.[13] Specialized VIP security guard services and companies are in high demand and are defined by their ability to protect celebrities and executives during times of unrest.[14] There is a marked difference between persons performing the duties historically associated with watchmen and persons who take a more active role in protecting persons and property. The former, often called "guards", are taught the mantra "observe and report", are minimally trained, and not expected to deal with the public or confront criminals.
The latter are often highly trained, sometimes armed depending on contracts agreed upon with clientele, and are more likely to interact with the general public and to confront the criminal element. These employees tend to take pride in the title "Security Officer" or "Protection Officer" and disdain the label of "guard". Security jobs vary in pay and duties. There is sometimes little relationship between duties performed and compensation, for example some mall "security officers" who are exposed to serious risks earn less per hour than "industrial security guards" who have less training and responsibility.[15] However, there are now more positions in the security role that separate not just the titles, but the job itself. The roles have progressed and so have the areas for which security people are needed. The term "agent" can be confusing in the security industry because it can describe a civil legal relationship between an employee and their employer or contractor ("agent of the owner" in California PC 602), and also can describe a person in government service ("Special Agent Jones of the Federal Bureau of Investigation".) The title "agent" can be confused with bail enforcement agents, also known as "bounty hunters", who are sometimes regulated by the same agencies which regulate private security. The term "agent" is also used in other industries, such as banking agents, loan agents and real estate agents. Security agents are often employed in loss prevention and personal or executive protection (bodyguards) roles. They typically work in plainclothes (without a uniform), and are usually highly trained to act lawfully in direct defense of life or property.
Security officers are private citizens, and therefore are bound by the same laws and regulations as the citizenry they are contracted to serve, and therefore are not allowed to represent themselves as law enforcement under penalty of law.[16][17]
Any person who conducts a business or is employed in a security-related field within Australia is required to be licensed. Each of the six states and two territories of Australia have separate legislation that covers all security activities. Licensing management in each state/territory is varied and is carried out by either Police, Attorney General's Department, Justice Department or the Department of Consumer Affairs.
New South Wales—(Police) Security Industry Act 1997 & Security Industry Regulation 2016
Australian Capital Territory—(Regulatory Services) Security Industry Act 2003 & Security Industry Regulation 2003
All of this legislation was intended to enhance the integrity of the private security industry.
All persons licensed to perform security activities are required to undertake a course of professional development in associated streams that are recognised nationally. This has not always been the case and the introduction of this requirement is expected to regulate the educational standards and knowledge base so that the particular job can be competently performed. Strict requirements are laid down as to the type of uniform and badge used by security companies. Uniforms or badges that may be confused with a police officer are prohibited. Also, the use of the titles 'Security Police' or 'Private Detective' are unacceptable. While the term security guard is used by companies, government bodies and individuals, the term security officer is deemed more suitable. Bouncers use the title Crowd Controllers, and Store Detectives use the title Loss Prevention or Asset Protection Officers. Security Officers may carry firearms, handcuffs or batons where their role requires them to do so and then only when working and have the appropriate sub-class accreditation to their license.
A 2009 review of trends in private security in Australia, conducted by Tim Prenzler, Karen Earle and Rick Sarre, published by the Australian Institute of Criminology, sought to examine the size and scope of the private security industry in Australia to help inform efforts to develop national consistent standards and licensing regimes.[18]
The review found the industry had a similar gender profile to police (24% female, 76% male), however security had a wider, and older age profile – 35% of security officers were 45 to 64 years old, while 44% of police were concentrated between 30 and 39 years. The review noted that as of 2009, private security outnumbered police two to one; it expected that this rate would continue to slow as security technology become more readily-accessible, especially CCTV camera systems, which are often seen as being more cost-effective than guarding/mobile patrol service.[18]
The review referenced a 2007 report from IBISworld (2007:24) that indicated four out of five of the largest private security companies in Australia were foreign-owned, accounting for 44.5% of the market share at the time.[18]
A 2018 report authored by Anthony Bergin, Donald Williams, and Christopher Dixon and published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, focused on the current role of private security in countering hostile threats. An evolving understanding of threats has resulted in private security playing a greater part in responding to critical incidents, such as terrorist attacks.[19]
The report provided a low end estimate of the total number of licensed security personnel across Australia as 120,000 (54,753 employed full-time, up from 52,768 in 2006). It said the security industry is nationally characterized as high-volume and high-turnover, given the conflict between a highly prescriptive selection process by employers and regulators who seek to ensure only fit and proper people are licensed. As such, approximately 47% of the industry consists of casual security officers.
In 2018, referencing data provided by ASIAL, the report states that the private security industry has an annual turnover of AUD8 billion – split evenly between manpower and the electronics sector. Despite various companies being amalgamated or split up, there continues to be a high rate of foreign-ownership of major security providers; the industry overall however remains split between a small number of national companies and a large number of small, specialized businesses.
Technological advancements in regards to drones, facial recognition, and robotics are expected to continue to augment the private security landscape in Australia.
In Canada, private security falls under the jurisdiction of Canada's ten provinces and three territories. All ten of Canada's provinces and one of its territories (the Yukon) have legislation that regulates the contract security industry.[20] These eleven jurisdictions require that companies that provide security guard services and their employees be licensed. Most provinces in Canada regulate the use of handcuffs and weapons (such as firearms and batons) by contract security companies and their employees, either banning such use completely or permitting it only under certain circumstances. Additionally, in some provinces, some terms, or variations of them, are prohibited either on a uniform or in self-reference.[21]
Canada's federal laws also restrict the ability of security officers to be armed. For example, section 17 of the Firearms Act makes it an offense for any person, including a security officer, to possess prohibited or restricted firearms (i.e. handguns) anywhere outside of his or her home. There are two exceptions to this prohibition found in sections 18 and 19 of the Act. Section 18 deals with transportation of firearms while Section 19 deals with allowing persons to carry such firearms on their persons to protect their lives or the lives of other persons, or for the performance of their occupation (Armour Car Guards, Licensed Trappers), provided an Authorization to Carry (ATC) is first obtained.[22]
British Columbia
Private security in the province of British Columbia is governed by two pieces of legislation: the Security Services Act[23] and the Security Services Regulation.[24] These laws are administered and enforced by the Security Programs and Police Technology Division[25] of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The legislation requires that guards must be at least 19 years old, undergo a criminal background check, and successfully complete a training course.[26] As far as weapons, British Columbia law severely restricts their use by security officers. Section 11(1)(c) of the Security Services Regulation prohibits security personnel from carrying or using any "item designed for debilitating or controlling a person or animal", which the government interprets to include all weapons. As well, section 11 forbids private security from using or carrying restraints, such as handcuffs, unless authorized by the government. However, as in other parts of Canada, armoured car officers are permitted to carry firearms. In the past, only personnel that worked for contract security, that is, security companies, were regulated in British Columbia. However, as of September 1, 2009, in-house security officers and private investigators came under the jurisdiction of the Security Services Act and Security Services Regulation. Bodyguards and bouncers, effective November 1, 2009, are also subject to these regulations.[27]
In Finland, all contract security officers (in Finnish vartija, in Swedish väktare) are required to have a valid license granted by police. Temporary license is valid for four months and normal license for five years. License requires a minimum 40-hour course for temporary license and 80 hours more for a normal license. Additionally a narrow security vetting is required. The 40-hour course does not allow the guard to carry any kind of special equipment such as a baton or handcuffs. Guards have to complete the 80-hour course to carry these. Separate training and license is required for the security guard to carry pepper spray, extendable baton or a firearm. Rehearse of weapons usage is mandatory every year and is regulated by the Ministry of the Interior, to ensure the safe handling of pepper spray and such. Firearms can only be carried by bodyguards and cash-in-transit guards or when guarding a person or object that is significant in terms of public interest.[28] In Finland, a security guard has the right to detain a person "red-handed", or seen committing a crime and the right to search the detained individual for harmful items and weapons. An individual who has been forcefully detained can only be released by the police. All companies providing security guarding services are also required to have a valid license from the Ministry of the Interior.[29]
France
In France, the Security Agents (agents de sécurité) are required to hold a professional card delivered by the Ministry of the Interior. The card is delivered after a 175hours-formation, which can be completed by specialized training (K9, firearms, maritime security etc). Former law enforcement and military personnel can ask for partial or total waivers for the deliverance of the card.[30]
The Security Agent card has a validity of 5 years and its renewal is subject to continuing education obligations.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, security officers (beveiligingsbeambte) must undergo a criminal background check by the local police department in the area where the private security company is located. To become a security guard in the Netherlands, a person must complete the basic training level 2 Beveiliger2 in which there are several specialisations, such as Airport Security, Harbour Security, Object Security and Mobile Surveillance. In addition there are individual courses for specialiasations, such as Personal Security (Bodyguard), Private investigator and Event Security Officer, for which the basic training Beveiliger 2 is not necessary. To complete the basic level training a trainee must undergo a three-month internship with a private security company or a company that contains a security service, that is licensed by the svpb, the board that controls security exams. A trainee guard must pass for his diploma within one year. If the trainee does not pass he is not allowed to work anymore until he completes his training with a positive result. After a positive result a new Security ID can be issued and is valid for three years, after which the officer must undergo a background check by the local police again, to renew the ID. Security officers in the Netherlands are not allowed to carry any kind of weapon or handcuffs. Every uniformed security guard in the Netherlands must have the V symbol on his or her uniform to advise the public they are dealing with a private guard; this rule is mandated by the Ministry of Justice. Security uniforms may not look similar to police uniforms, and may not contain any kind of rank designation. The colors yellow and gold are not allowed to be used because the Dutch police uses gold accents in their uniforms; also, wearing a uniform cap is not allowed. Every new uniform design or addition must be approved by the Ministry of Justice before use. A patrol vehicle may not look like a police striped vehicle. The only private security officers who are allowed to carry firearms are those who work for the military or Dutch National bank (De Nederlandsche Bank); this is where the national gold reserve can be found. Security guards in the Netherlands can work for a specific security company or a security service within a company (Bedrijfsbeveiligingsdienst). Since 2018 the Security business in the Netherlands has seen a trend evolve where hospitality is being considered as a more prominent priority in Security services.
Norway
Security officer with vehicle in Norway
In Norway security officers are called "Vektere". There are two different types of vektere—the normal uniformed or civil-clothing officers who watch over private and semi-public properties, and government-hired vektere who work in public places, such as the Parliament. The law provides more enforcement powers to security officers in the Parliament than to private security officers. Security officers must undergo five weeks of training and internship. It is also possible to choose Security as a high school major, which requires two years of school and two years of trainee positions at private companies, resulting in a certificate from the government. This certificate makes it easier to get a job, with slightly higher pay. It also makes it easier to get a job elsewhere in the security industry. The certificate can also be obtained by private security officers who have had a minimum of 5 years working experience. No security officer may carry pepper spray, batons or any other kind of weapon. However, handcuffs may be used. Norges Bank (Bank of Norway, federal reserves) had armed government guards until late 2013, when they were disarmed by the minister of finance. Security officers serving on ships sailing in areas of high piracy risk may be equipped with firearms. Uniforms should not resemble police worn attire, but some uniforms do. The uniform must have the text 'VEKTER' or 'SIKKERHET' above the left shirt pocket.
A security officer, or any other person, may detain or arrest anyone that violates any law, as long as the violation carries a punishment of minimum six months imprisonment and a fine. The detainee must be released or handed over to the authorities within four hours of the arrest. Security officers assigned to public transportation, such as trains, subways, trams and buses, also have some powers under the Transportloven (transportation law). Security officers may issue fixed penalty tickets for violation of parking regulations in designated areas and for passengers on public transportation without a valid pass. A security officer may only search (frisk) a person to prevent the use of or confiscate any type of weapon or anything that can be used as a weapon. In 2006, some security officers (Vakt Service/Nokas) were given extended training and limited police authority to transport prisoners between police holding cells, jails and courts, etc. Due to an outcry from the police union, this program was scrapped after a few months.
In addition to normal "vektere" there also is a special branch for "Ordensvakter" who normally work as bouncers or security at concerts and similar types of events. Ordensvakter have to undergo an extra week of training to learn techniques on how to handle drunk people and people on various drugs. They also learn about the alcohol laws of Norway (which are rather strict). The police in the local police district must approve each Ordensvakt. These special regulations arose after events in the 1990s when bouncers had a bad reputation, especially in Oslo, for being too brutal and rough with people. At that time, the police had no control over who worked as bouncers. After the government implemented training and mandatory police-issued ID cards for bouncers the problems have been reduced. The police of Oslo report that Ordensvakter are now helping the police identify crimes that otherwise would not be reported. In 2013, due to a high number of rapes and violent robberies, the city of Oslo (Oslo Kommune) hired a private security company (Metro Garda) to patrol the downtown immigrant areas. This patrol had a positive effect, and the city has, in addition to Metro Garda officers, now hired their own officers called Bymiljøetaten (City environment dep). The municipalities in Norway are not allowed to form their own "police". The only police force in Norway is the national police (politiet).
In 2007, several officers from the Securitas AB company were arrested for brutality against a robber they apprehended on the main street of Oslo. The crime was captured with a mobile camera by pedestrians and created a public outcry, with many objecting to the way the security guards took the law into their own hands. Later, it came to light that the thief first attacked the security guards when they approached him, so the brutality charges were dropped.[31] As a result of this episode, the police said that they would be more careful when conducting criminal background checks for security guards. Before 2007 security guards were checked when they applied for a job, but not while they were working. Security companies were also criticized for not checking criminal records sufficiently, in some cases not at all. Now guards working in private security must be checked annually. The police have the authority to withdraw a company's licence if the company does not submit lists of employees to the police. The police in Norway were widely criticized for not checking guards properly, and even when they encounter an issue with a guard, the guard can still work for months before anything is done. The security company G4S, after being criticized by police for hiring criminals, stated that they cannot do anything about the problem, because only the police have the ability to check the guard's criminal records.[32]
In 2012, Norwegian media reported that off-duty police officers and Home Guard soldiers had contracts of armed employment on civilian ships in the Aden bay, and police leaders were planning sanctions against the use of police officers.[33] Today there are around 15,000 people working in private security in Norway. The police have around 10,000 employees in total.
As a requirement of the Private Security Industry Act 2001, the UK requires all contract security officers to have a valid Security Industry Authority licence.[34] The licence must be displayed when on duty, although a dispensation may be granted for store detectives, bodyguards and others who need to operate without being identified as a security guard. (This dispensation is not available to Vehicle Immobilisers).
Licenses are valid for three years and require the holders to undergo formal training, and are also to pass mandatory Criminal Records Bureau checks. Licences for Vehicle Immobilisers are valid for one year.
Non SIA licence
Some people working as 'in-house' security guards/officers do not need an SIA licence. 'In-house' means they are directly are employed by the company/people they are protecting, such as supermarkets and not if they work for a security company.[35]
There are two exceptions to this about 'in-house' guards:
door supervision at a licensed premises
vehicle immobilising – this only applies in Northern Ireland.
Both of these need SIA licences.
Unarmed Guarding
Armed guarding and guarding with a weapon are illegal in the United Kingdom, as almost all citizens are prohibited from carrying most firearms (such as a pistol), or offensive weapons (such as a baton).
However, guards may carry handcuffs and leg/arm restraints[36][37] (although this is rare as the grounds for using them are narrow),> and some may wear stab-resistant vests (such as cash-in-transit guards).[38]
Hong Kong
Watchman on duty at a residential block in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, the term Security Officer refers to a senior staff member who supervises a team of security personnel. The staff who work under security officers' supervision are called Security Guards.
Legislation
Before 1 October 1996, private security personnel were regulated by the Watchmen Ordinance (Chapter 299). However, there were many problems with that system of regulation—for example, there were no restrictions as to whom may establish private security service companies to provide security services to a client. Also, there was no regulation of people whom may perform installation of security systems. Some employers hired "caretakers" instead of security guards to avoid their responsibilities under the ordinance (in formal definition, "caretakers" are supposed to provide facilities management service, although security service, which provided to residential properties, takes some parts of facilities management service). As a result, the Hong Kong Government enacted a wholly new law, the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance (Chapter 460), to replace the Watchmen Ordinance.
According to the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance: No individual shall do, agree to do, or hold himself/herself out as doing, or as available to do, security work for another person unless he/she does so-
Security work means any of the following activities-
Guarding any property;
Guarding any person or place for the purpose of preventing or detecting the occurrence of any offence; (Replaced 25 of 2000 s. 2)
Installing, maintaining or repairing a security device;
Designing for any particular premises or place a system incorporating a security device.
Security device means a device designed or adapted to be installed in any premises or place, except on or in a vehicle, for the purpose of detecting or recording- (Amended 25 of 2000 s. 2)
The occurrence of any offence; or
The presence of an intruder or of an object that persons are, for reasons of security, not permitted to bring onto the premises or place or any other premises or place.[40]
Singapore
Security officers in Singapore are strictly regulated and overseen by the Singapore Police Force (SPF). Both domestic and international security companies operates in Singapore.[41] There are certain requirements to meet to become a licensed security officer. These include, among others:[41]
Being at least 18 years old
Passing a mandatory training program from a recognized training centre
No criminal record
A security officers' license must be approved by the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD), and is renewable every 5 years. Security officer ranks in Singapore are structured similarly to a police force. As of 2023, there are five standardised ranks, with promotion being given based upon an officer's length of service combined with the amount of mandatory training courses that they have successfully attended and passed based upon each specific rank. These ranks also follows a progressive wage model.
Security Officer (SO)
Senior Security Officer (SSO)
Security Supervisor (SS)
Senior Security Supervisor (SSS)
Chief Security Officer (CSO)
Higher ranks at an executive level also exists, with having an academic degree education also often required for such positions. These ranks include:
Security Executive (SE)
Operations Manager (OM)
Operations Executive (OE)
Qualification
Qualification for security guards vary from country to country. Different requirements have to be completed before applying for this job.
Hong Kong
A group of security guards before going on duty in Hong Kong
Any applicant who wishes to apply for a Security Personnel Permit (SPP) must:
He/she have been living in Hong Kong for at least 5 years. (This requirement may have been changed)
No criminal record.
At least 17 years old when submitting his/her application.
Have passed a mandatory 16-hour training course and have been granted a certificate of the course.
If the applicant is over 65 years old, he/she must submit his/her health examination report.
Permit
Security Personnel Permit was separated to four types: A, B, C, and D.
Type A permit holder was permitted to work in a "single-block" residential building; they are not allowed to carry firearms. No age limit.
Type B permit holder was permitted to work in any type of properties, but they also are not allowed carry firearms. The maximum age limit of this permit is 65.
Type C permit holder was permitted to work as an armed guard. (Usually, they are members of the cash transport car crew.) The maximum age limit of this permit is 55.
Type D permit holder was permitted to design, install, and repair security devices. No maximum age limit.
The permit is valid for five years. All holders must renew their permit before it expires, or they will lose their qualification to work, as such, until their permit is renewed.
The type A and Type B security service are gradually combined with property management service, though the boundary between these two industries is unclear.
Power of arrest
Security Guards in Hong Kong do not have special powers of arrest above that of the ordinary citizen, i.e. citizen's arrest, also known locally as the "101 arrest power". The Section 101 in the Criminal Procedure Ordinance addresses that arrest of an offender by a private citizen is allowed in certain circumstances if the offender is attempting an arrestable offense. Once arrested, the suspect must be delivered to a police office as soon as possible. An arrestable offence is defined as any crime carrying a sentence of more than 12 months imprisonment. No security personnel are allowed to search other person, nor are they allowed to get personal information from other people, with the exception of some specific circumstances.
Israel
In Israel, almost all security guards carry a firearm, primarily to prevent terror attacks. The vast majority of them are Ex-military. Security guards are common: they perform entrance checks at shopping malls, transportation terminals, government and other office buildings, and many stores. Many locations with a high number of visitors, such as the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, employ X-ray machines to check passenger's bags; in other places, they are opened and visually inspected. Since 2009, private security guards companies as Mikud have also replaced official security forces at some checkpoints inside and on the border of the West Bank, as well as the crossings to Gaza.
Security guards must complete mandatory training and hold a valid certificate to work, and must show this certificate when using their powers such as searching an individual or requiring ID. This training is carried out by private specially licensed institutions and supervised by the Israel Police or less commonly Shin Bet. If armed, they must, like all other citizens, carry a firearm license as well. The company employing the guard must also hold a permit, and if armed, a special general permit to store and use firearms.
Powers
Search and seizure - searching an individual and their belongings and confiscation of illegal goods.
Access control - stop an individual from entering or eject them, including use of force.
ID - the right to demand an ID and use reasonable force if non is forthcoming.
Detainment - similar to a citizens arrest the guard may detain an induvial and must transfer them to police custody.
Malaysia
Security officers at KK Times Square in Kota Kinabalu.
The private security industry is regulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kementerian Dalam Negeri). As of 2018, all private security companies in Malaysia must have a minimum of 80% of their employees complete a Certified Security Guard Training Course [42] in order to receive approval to renew their Private Agency License. Peninsular Malaysia allows for the use of Nepalese security guards whereby East Malaysian immigration policy does not allow the use of foreign workers to be employed in the security industry.
Security guards along with the rest of the private security industry are regulated under Act 56 of 2001, Private Security Industry Regulation Act.[43]
United States
Private security guards have outnumbered police officers since the 1980s, predating the heightened concern about security brought on by the September 11 attacks of 2001. The more than 1 million contract security officers, and an equal number of guards estimated to work directly for U.S. corporations, is much greater than the nearly 700,000 sworn law enforcement officers in the United States.[44] Most states require a license to work as a security officer. [1] This license may include a criminal background check or mandated training requirements. Security guards have the same powers of arrest as a private citizen, called a "private person" arrest, "any person" arrest, or "citizen's arrest". If weapons are carried, additional permits and training are usually required. Armed security personnel are generally employed to protect sensitive sites such as government and military installations, armored money transports, casinos, banks and other financial institutions, and nuclear power plants. However, armed security is quickly becoming a standard for vehicle patrol officers and on many other non-government sites.
The responsibilities of security guards in the United States are expanding in scope. For example, a trend is the increasing use of private security to support services previously provided by police departments. James F. Pastor addresses substantive legal and public policy issues which directly or indirectly relate to the provision of security services. These can be demonstrated by the logic of alternative or supplemental service providers. The use of private police has particular appeal because property or business owners can directly contract for public safety services, thereby providing welcome relief for municipal budgets. Finally, private police functions can be flexible, depending upon the financial, organizational, political, and circumstances of the client.[45]
Arizona – Licensed security companies are required to provide eight hours of pre-assignment training to all persons employed as security guards before the employee acts in the capacity of a security guard.[46] There is a state-mandated curriculum that must be taught, and subjects covered must include criminal law and laws of arrest, uniforms and grooming, communications, use of force, general security procedures, crime scene preservation, ethics, and first response.[47]
California – Security Guards are required to obtain a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, undergo a criminal history background check through the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and complete a 40-hour course of required training. This required training is broken down into smaller training sections and time-lines. The first is 8 hours of BSIS-designed instruction on powers to arrest and weapons. Then, within 30 days of getting the individual officers license, they must receive 16 hours of training on various mandatory and elective courses. Finally, within 6 months of getting their license, they must receive an additional 16 hours of training on various mandatory and elective courses. California security officers are also required to complete 8 hours of annual training on security-related topics, in addition to the initial 40 hours of training. The training and exam may be administered by any private patrol operator or by any of a large number of certified training facilities. This training can be in the classroom or online.[48][49]
A loss prevention security officer for Target. Loss prevention or assets protection officers are security officers specially tasked with preventing shoplifting and arresting offenders.
Illinois – Security Guards / Security Officers in Illinois are required to have a valid Permanent Employee Registration Card, also known as a PERC Card for short. They also have to be a minimum of 18 years old to work as an unarmed security guard, and a minimum of 21 years old to work as an armed security guard. A valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card, also known as a FOID Card for short, is also required if working as an armed security guard.[50]
New Jersey – As of 2006 all security personnel employed by a "security officer company" which provides security services to other entities by contract must undergo a state mandated certified training program. This law, commonly referred to as SORA, is the state's effort to increase the quality of security personnel. Security personnel employed by other types of businesses do not require the SORA certification card. However, those employed by the Atlantic City casinos are required to have the state issued "Casino Employee Registration" card.
New Mexico – As of 2008 all security guards must undergo FBI background checks and a certified training program. Guards who carry firearms must also undergo additional training with a firearm through an approved firearms instructor and pass a psychological exam. The security industry is regulated through the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Division.
New Orleans, Louisiana – The City of New Orleans Department of Police in accordance with New Orleans Home Rule Charter section 4-502 (2) (a) (b) and New Orleans Municipal Code 17-271 MCS 90-86, deputizes armed Security Officers, Private Investigators, College Campus Police, City, State, and Federal agencies, within the city limits, with limited Police Power as New Orleans Police Special Officers. New Orleans Municipal Code 17-271 MCS 30-1122 states It shall be unlawful for any person to act as an armed guard unless he is a Peace Officer. Louisiana R.S. 40:1379.1 (b) states the Special Officer, when performing those tasks requiring a Special Officer's commission, shall have the same powers and duties as a Peace Officer. Special Officers may make arrest for felony or misdemeanor offenses on the property or area they are to protect, patrol, or in relation to their direct assignment. The Special Officer when making an arrest may pat down the arrested subject for weapons. Special Officers are to turn over arrested subjects and pertaining evidence to a New Orleans Police Officer. Special Officers or to honor all subpoenas on arrest made and appear in court to testify. Special Officers when not on a particular assignment are regarded as private citizens and have no Police Power. However, Special Officers still may make an arrest for a felony, whether in or out of his presence, while not on a particular assignment, under Louisiana Law CCRP art.214 Arrest by private person; when lawful.
North Carolina – Security Officers in North Carolina are required to register and become certified with the Private Protective Services Board (PPSB), the private security authority body under the North Carolina Department of Justice. The purpose of the Private Protective Services Board is to administer the licensing, education and training requirements for persons, firms, associations and corporations engaged in private protective services within North Carolina. The board is totally fee funded and is staffed by departmental employees directed on a daily basis by the Director, who is appointed by the Attorney General. There are two classifications for an officer: armed and unarmed. While an unarmed officer is required to take a 16-hour class of training and instruction to become certified, an armed officer must take additional hours of classroom training as well as qualify on a gun range with the firearm which will be carried on duty.
Oklahoma – Security officers in Oklahoma are licensed by CLEET (Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training). To be licensed as an unarmed officer an individual must be at least 18 years of age and undergo 40 hours of classroom training and pass criminal history checks. Armed guards must be 21 years of age, have another 40 hours of classroom training, qualify with their firearm and pass a psychological evaluation.
Oregon – Security officers in Oregon must be licensed as either an unarmed, armed, or event security professional by the Department of Public Safety, Standards and Training to be employed for the purpose of providing security services. Unarmed and event professionals must be at least 18 years of age or older and armed professionals must be 21 years of age or older. All security professionals are required to complete classroom instruction and armed professionals also need to complete a basic marksmanship course. Supervisors and managers have an additional certification that is completed by additional classroom training. Loss prevention officers are required to have an unarmed or armed certification.
Pennsylvania – No licensing requirements to be an unarmed security guard. However, anyone who carried a firearm or other "lethal weapon" in the course and scope of their employment must be trained as a "Certified Agent" and successfully complete a 40-hour training course (including shooting range time) in order to be certified to carry weapons while on duty under the Lethal Weapons Training Act (commonly referred to as Act 235 certification). Certification involves completing a medical physical exam, a psychological examination, classroom training and qualifying on a pistol range, with firing of 50 rounds of ammo larger than a .380acp. Agents are also required to qualify on a shotgun. The certification is good for five years at which time an eight-hour refresher course must be taken or the certification is revoked.[51]
South Carolina – All Security Officers have the same authority and power of arrest as Sheriff's Deputies, while on the property they are paid to protect, and according to Attorney General Alan Wilson, are considered Law Enforcement for the purpose of making arrests and swearing out a warrant before the magistrate.[52] Private Officers may respond to calls for service, make arrests and use blue lights[53] and traffic radar. They may also be specially authorized by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to issue Uniform Traffic Tickets to violators.[54] Security Officers are licensed or registered (as appropriate) by SLED for one year at a time. Training for unarmed officers is 8 hours, an additional 8 hours is required for a security weapons permit or a concealed security weapons permit. Additional hours are required to be documented for officers issuing public or private tickets as well as officers who will be using batons, pepper spray or tasers.
St. Louis, Missouri – Security officers are required to be licensed by the St. Louis County Police Department or St. Louis Police Department. St. Louis County security officer training is a two-day class and yearly renewal class. Armed officers must shoot bi-annually to keep their armed status. County license is called a Metropolitan License, meaning it is good for St. Louis City and County.[55] The St. Louis City web site has all the information regarding licensing requirements, as they are the same in the city and county.[56]
Texas – There are three types of Security Officer license types in the state of Texas. Each requires a certain level of training. All training and licensing is regulated by the Department of Public Safety's Private Security Bureau.[57] The three types of licenses are
Non Commissioned Security Officer (Level II)
A Non Commissioned Security Officer is unarmed and must wear a distinctive DPS approved uniform. The main purpose of this type of officer is the phrase most associated with security, Observe and Report. The Security Officer is generally there to be a good witness.
Required Training: Level II/Non Commissioned Officer requires 6 hours of classroom based training. This course may be taught by any licensed company directly to new hires. The Owner, Qualified Manager, or a designee of the Qualified Manager may teach the course. At the completion of the course the candidate must pass a multiple choice exam. There are no pre requisites to this course or license.[58]
Background Check: FBI background check and electronic fingerprint imaging
Renewal: Submission of renewal fee every two years. No required renewal course.
Commissioned Security Officer (Level III)
A patrol vehicle used by Priority Protection & Investigations in Texas
A Commissioned Security Officer openly carries a handgun[59] and may also carry a baton,[60] chemical dispensing device (OC),[61] Taser, etc. Commissioned Officers also must wear a distinct DPS approved uniform [62] and can at no time conceal their weapon while on duty and/or in uniform.[63] The main purpose of this type of officer is to actively prevent and deter crime. Observe and report is now a secondary function and the officer is to actively protect the clients and property in accordance with clients procedures as well as state/federal law.
Required Training: Level III/Commissioned Officer requires a 40-hour Level III course. The training for this license consists of classroom based learning, defense tactics, handcuffing, and firearms training. At the completion of the course the candidate must pass a firearms proficiency test and a multiple choice exam. This license requires the previous Level II course to be completed first. This course may only be taught by a licensed Level III instructor working under a state licensed Level III security training school.[64]
Background Check: FBI background check and electronic fingerprint imaging
Renewal: Submission of renewal fee and proof of completion of a 6-hour re-qualification class taught by a Level III instructor under a Level III training school. The re-qualification course requires completion of a multiple choice exam and a firearms qualification. This is done every two years.
Personal Protection Officer (Level IV)
A Personal Protection Officer (PPO) directly protects the life of their client. PPO's are the only license type able to wear plain clothes while working. PPO's in plain clothes MUST conceal their firearm, and they are also the only license type able to conceal their firearm at all. The Level IV/Personal Protection Officer license is tied to the Level III/Commissioned Officer license. To issue a PPO license the PPO candidate must be applying for at the same time or have already received a Level III/ Commissioned Security Officer license. The Security Officer's Level III and IV will also have the same expiration date regardless of date issued.
Required Training: Level IV/ Personal Protection Officer requires a 15 hours course teaching additional law, defense tactics, considerations for personal protection of a client, and OC training. This license requires the previous Level II and Level III courses to be completed first. This course may only be taught by a licensed Level IV instructor working under a state licensed Level IV security training school.[65]
Background Check: FBI background check and electronic fingerprint imaging
Psychological Testing: In addition to the training and background check a PPO must also submit an MMPI (psychological test) administered by a Texas licensed Psychologist.[66]
Renewal: Submission of renewal fee and a current Level III/ Commissioned Officer license or pending renewal of Level III/Commissioned Officer license.
A museum guard in 1935
Virginia – Since the 1980s, Security Officers in Virginia are required to be certified by DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services, the same agency that certifies law enforcement officers).[67] To be certified as an unarmed security officer one must go through 18 hours of classroom training from a certified instructor in order to obtain this card and it must be done by the end of their 90 days after hire with a Security company. Every two years the card must be renewed, by completing an in-service with a certified instructor. To be certified as an armed security officer one must complete an additional 24 hours of firearms training, 8 hours of training in conducting a lawful arrest, and qualification with the type and caliber of weapon they intend to carry. Firearms endorsements must be renewed annually by completing an in-service and passing a firearms qualification. Certified armed security officers are authorized under state code to arrest[68] for any offense committed in their presence while they are on duty at the location they are hired to protect. Unarmed officers have no arrest powers. They also are granted the authority by the state law to issue summons to appear in court[69] for felonies and misdemeanors. Virginia also allows security officers to attend additional 40 hours of training to become certified as Conservators of the Peace (Special Police) for the company employing them. This appointment is performed by a Circuit Court Judge, wherein the officer is actually sworn in and has the powers of a police officer on property they are working, as well as the lawful duty to act upon witnessing any felony and the ability to pursue fleeing felons. Such sworn officers are also permitted the use of sirens and red lights. Those who handle K-9s, work as dispatchers, alarm responders, private investigators, instructors, bounty hunters, armored car couriers and Executive Protection Specialists are other categories of training regulated by DCJS with additional training requirements. All positions require State Police and FBI background checks.
Australia
In Australia, regulations and restrictions pertaining to the private security industry varies by state. In the state of Victoria, individuals employed in the private security industry, or wishing to be employed in the industry must hold a valid 'Private security licence' which qualifies and outlines what activities they are allowed to perform in the industry. Private security licenses in Victoria are issued and managed by Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division.[70]
A list of activities applicable to a Victorian private security license include:
Security personnel are not police officers, unless they are security police. Security personnel derive their powers from state or provincial laws, which allow them a contractual arrangement with clients that give them Agent of the Owner powers. This includes a nearly unlimited power to question with the absence of probable cause requirements that frequently dog public law enforcement officers. In essence, security officers keep private property / persons safe from hazards, whereas police officers protect entire communities by enforcing laws and arresting suspected offenders. Some jurisdictions do commission or deputize security officers and give them limited additional powers, particularly when employed in protecting public property such as mass transit stations. This is a special case that is often unique to a particular jurisdiction or locale. Additionally, security officers may also be called upon to act as an agent of law enforcement if a police officer, sheriff's deputy, etc. is in immediate need of help and has no available backup.
Some security officers do have reserve police powers and are typically employed directly by governmental agencies. Typically, these are sworn law enforcement personnel whose duties primarily involve the security of a government installation, and are also a special case. Other local and state governments occasionally enter into special contracts with security agencies to provide patrol services in public areas. These personnel are sometimes referred to as "private police officers". Sometimes, police officers work as security personnel while not on duty. This is usually done for extra income, and work is particularly done in hazardous jobs such as bodyguard work and bouncers outside nightclubs. Police are called in when a situation warrants a higher degree of authority to act upon reported observations that security does not have the authority to act upon. However, some states allow Licensed Security Officers full arrest powers equal to those of a Sheriff's Deputy.
One massive resource, filled with significant numbers of personnel, armed with a wide array of technology, and directed by professionals who have spent their entire adult lifetimes learning how to prevent and reduce crime, has not been tapped by governments in the fight against criminality. The private security industry, with over one million workers, sophisticated alarm systems and perimeter safeguards, armored trucks, sophisticated mini-computers, and thousands of highly skilled crime prevention experts, offers a potential for coping with crime that can not be equalled by any other remedy or approach.... Underutilized by police, all but ignored by prosecutors and the judiciary, and unknown to corrections officials, the private security professional may be the only person in this society who has the knowledge to effectively prevent crime.[71]
In New York City, the Area Police/Private Security Liaison program was organized in 1986 by the NYPD commissioner and four former police chiefs working in the private security industry to promote mutual respect, cross-training, and sharing of crime-related information between public police and private security.
Trends
Australia
In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics Report showed that private security personnel outnumbered police, with 52,768 full-time security officers in the security industry compared to 44,898 police officers. However, since the Security Industry Regulation Act of 2007 it has dropped to less than half of that.
Bangladesh
A Bangladeshi security guard guarding a residential colony at night
In Bangladesh, private companies and residential authorities may assign security guards. The demand for event security is in high demand. Most of the guards who are from renowned security companies get on-ground training, are qualified in unarmed combat, use firearms and manage emergencies. Use of firearms in security occupations depends on government discretion. In many cases, guards are only assigned for their physical strength and presence.
United Kingdom
The trend in the UK is one of polarization. Manned guarding, the security industry term for the security guards most people are familiar with, is diverging toward two opposite extremes; one typified by a highly trained and well paid security officer; the other with security officers on or about minimum wage with only the minimum training required by law. Within the "in-house" sector, where security personnel are not subject to licensing under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, the same divergence can be seen, with some companies opting for in-house security to maintain control of their standards, while others use it as a route to cheaper, non-regulated, security. In a very few cases, such as the Northern Ireland Security Guard Service, security guards may be attested as Special Constables.
United States
Economist Robert B. Reich, in his 1991 book The Work of Nations, stated that in the United States, the number of private security guards and officers was comparable to the number of publicly paid police officers. He used this phenomenon as an example of the general withdrawal of the affluent from existing communities where governments provide public services. Instead, the wealthy pay to provide their own premium services, through voluntary, exclusive associations. As taxpayer resistance has limited government budgets, and as the demand for secure homes in gated communities has grown, these trends have continued in the 1990s and 2000s. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the trend in the US is one of a quiet transformation of the role of security guards into first responders in case of a terrorist attack or major disaster. This has resulted in longer guard instruction hours, extra training in terrorism tactics and increased laws governing private security companies in some states.
History
Standing Guard
The vigiles were soldiers assigned to guard the city of Rome, often credited as the origin of both security personnel and police, although their principal duty was as a fire brigade. There have been night watchmen since at least the Middle Ages in Europe; walled cities of ancient times also had watchmen. A special chair appeared in Europe sometime in the late Middle Ages, called the watchman's chair; this unupholstered wooden chair had a forward slanting seat to prevent the watchman from dozing off during duty.
Notable examples
In June 1972, Frank Wills, a security guard at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., noticed a piece of tape covering the latch on an entrance to one of the buildings, thereby preventing it from locking. Police, whom Wills subsequently notified, arrested five men in the portion of the building occupied by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters. The following investigations and revelations—entirely enabled by Wills' discoveries and subsequent actions—ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in what is now known as the Watergate scandal, considered among the largest American political scandals.
Christoph Meili, night guard at a Swiss bank, became a whistleblower in 1997. He told about the bank destroying records related to funds of Holocaust victims, whose money the bank was supposed to return to the victims' heirs.
In 2001, Gary Coleman, former child actor, was employed as an armed security officer, with permits valid for both firearm and baton through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of California in the Los Angeles area. While shopping for a bullet-resistant vest for his job, Coleman assaulted a female autograph collector. Coleman said he felt "threatened by her insistence" and punched her in the head.[72]
Richard Jewell, a security officer at Atlanta, Georgia's Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics who was wrongly accused of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Jewell was later cleared of those charges, and was in fact the one who saved hundreds of lives when he first noticed the suspicious package and got the area evacuated. Jewell later successfully sued several news agencies who erroneously reported he was the bomber.
Joseph Trombino, a Brinks Security Officer who was shot and wounded in the 1981 Brink's robbery. Trombino survived his injuries and continued to work for the Brink's company for the next 20 years; he was almost killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks while making a delivery in the World Trade Center North Tower.
Unionization
Canada
Many security guards in Canada are unionized. The primary unions which represent security guards in Canada are the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW),[73] Local 333, and the Canadian branch of the United Steelworkers (USW). In contrast to the legal restrictions in the United States, Canadian labour relations boards will certify bargaining units of security guards for a Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)-affiliated union or in the same union with other classifications of employees.
Singapore
Security officers in Singapore are unionised under the Union of Security Employees (USE), an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).[74]
United States
In June 1947, the United States Congress passed the Taft–Hartley Act placing many restrictions on labor unions. Section 9 (B) (3) of the act prevents the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from certifying for collective bargaining any unit which mixes security employees with non-security employees. This restricts the ability of security employees to join any union that also represents other types of employees. They may be part of an independent, "security-only" union, not affiliated with any coalition of other types of labor unions such as the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). A union which also represents non-security employees may also represent and bargain on behalf of security employees with the employer's consent. Two of the largest security unions are the Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) and the United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA), but the largest union of security officers is SEIU 32BJ, which as of 2018 had over 30,000 security officers.[75]
Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America
In 1948 with the Taft–Hartley restrictions well into effect, the Detroit, Michigan area security guards of United Auto Workers (UAW) Amalgamated Local 114 were forced to break away and start a separate "Plant Guards Organizing Committee". The NLRB ruled that as an affiliate of the CIO, the committee was indirectly affiliated with production unions and therefore ineligible for certification under the new restrictions. The committee was then forced to completely withdraw from the CIO and start the independent United Plant Guard Workers of America. By the 1990s, this union had evolved to include many other types of security officers and changed its name to the SPFPA.
United Government Security Officers of America
In 1992, the UGSOA was formed. It specializes in organizing federal, state, and local government security officers, but since May 2000 has been open to representing other types of security personnel as well.
Others
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has also sought to represent security employees, although its efforts have been complicated by the Taft-Harley Act because the SEIU also represents janitors, trash collectors, and other building service employees.
Government of Ontario, Canada. "Licences and Forms". Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
Government of Ontario, Canada. "Licences and Forms". Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
Government of Alberta, Canada. "Licences and Forms". Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Alberta. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
"News and Updates". British Columbia Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers and was incorporated as a city in 1881. It became the capital of Arizona Territory in 1889.[14] Its canal system led to a thriving farming community with the original settlers' crops, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus, and hay, remaining important parts of the local economy for decades.[15][16] Cotton, cattle, citrus, climate, and copper were known locally as the "Five C's" anchoring Phoenix's economy. These remained the driving forces of the city until after World War II, when high-tech companies began to move into the valley and air conditioning made Phoenix's hot summers more bearable.[17]
The Hohokam people occupied the Phoenix area for 2,000 years.[24][25] They created roughly 135 miles (217 kilometers) of irrigation canals, making the desert land arable, and paths of these canals were used for the Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal, and the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct. They also carried out extensive trade with the nearby Ancient Puebloans, Mogollon, and Sinagua, as well as with the more distant Mesoamerican civilizations.[26] It is believed periods of drought and severe floods between 1300 and 1450 led to the Hohokam civilization's abandonment of the area.[27]
After the departure of the Hohokam, groups of Akimel O'odham (commonly known as Pima), Tohono O'odham, and Maricopa tribes began to use the area, as well as segments of the Yavapai and Apache.[28] The O'odham were offshoots of the Sobaipuri tribe, who in turn were thought to be the descendants of the Hohokam.[29][30][31]
The Akimel O'odham were the major group in the area. They lived in small villages with well-defined irrigation systems that spread over the Gila River Valley, from Florence in the east to the Estrellas in the west. Their crops included corn, beans, and squash for food as well as cotton and tobacco. They banded with the Maricopa for protection against incursions by the Yuma and Apache tribes.[32] The Maricopa are part of the larger Yuma people; however, they migrated east from the lower Colorado and Gila Rivers in the early 1800s, when they began to be enemies with other Yuma tribes, settling among the existing communities of the Akimel O'odham.[33][34][28]
The Tohono O'odham also lived in the region, but largely to the south and all the way to the Mexican border.[35] The O'odham lived in small settlements as seasonal farmers who took advantage of the rains, rather than the large-scale irrigation of the Akimel. They grew crops such as sweet corn, tapary beans, squash, lentils, sugar cane, and melons, as well as taking advantage of native plants such as saguaro fruits, cholla buds, mesquite tree beans, and mesquite candy (sap from the mesquite tree). They also hunted local game such as deer, rabbit, and javelina for meat.[36][37]
The Mexican–American War ended in 1848, Mexico ceded its northern zone to the United States, and the region's residents became U.S. citizens. The Phoenix area became part of the New Mexico Territory.[38] In 1863, the mining town of Wickenburg was the first to be established in Maricopa County, to the northwest of Phoenix. Maricopa County had not been incorporated; the land was within Yavapai County, which included the major town of Prescott to the north of Wickenburg.
The Army created Fort McDowell on the Verde River in 1865 to forestall Indian uprisings.[39] The fort established a camp on the south side of the Salt River by 1866, which was the first settlement in the valley after the decline of the Hohokam. Other nearby settlements later merged to become the city of Tempe.[40]
Founding and incorporation
The Phillip Darrell Duppa adobe house was built in 1870 and is the oldest house in Phoenix. The homestead is named after "Lord" Darrell Duppa, an Englishman who is credited with naming Phoenix and Tempe as well as founding the town of New River.
The history of Phoenix begins with Jack Swilling, a Confederate veteran of the Civil War who prospected in the nearby mining town of Wickenburg in the newly formed Arizona Territory. As he traveled through the Salt River Valley in 1867, he saw a potential for farming to supply Wickenburg with food. He also noted the eroded mounds of dirt that indicated previous canals dug by native peoples who had long since left the area. He formed the Swilling Irrigation and Canal Company that year, dug a large canal that drew in river water, and erected several crop fields in a location that is now within the eastern portion of central Phoenix near its airport. Other settlers soon began to arrive, appreciating the area's fertile soil and lack of frost, and the farmhouse Swilling constructed became a frequently-visited location in the valley.[41][42]Lord Darrell Duppa was one of the original settlers in Swilling's party, and he suggested the name "Phoenix", as it described a city born from the ruins of a former civilization.[24]
The Board of Supervisors in Yavapai County officially recognized the new town on May 4, 1868, and the first post office was established the following month with Swilling as the postmaster.[24] In October 1870, valley residents met to select a new townsite for the valley's growing population. A new location three miles to the west of the original settlement, containing several allotments of farmland, was chosen, and lots began to officially be sold under the name of Phoenix in December of that year. This established the downtown core in a grid layout pattern that has been the hallmark of Phoenix's urban development ever since.
On February 12, 1871, the territorial legislature created Maricopa County by dividing Yavapai County; it was the sixth one formed in the Arizona Territory. The first election for county office was held in 1871 when Tom Barnum was elected the first sheriff. He ran unopposed when the other two candidates (John A. Chenowth and Jim Favorite) fought a duel; Chenowth killed Favorite and was forced to withdraw from the race.[24]
The town grew during the 1870s, and President Ulysses S. Grant issued a land patent for the site of Phoenix on April 10, 1874. By 1875, the town had a telegraph office, 16 saloons, and four dance halls, but the townsite-commissioner form of government needed an overhaul. An election was held in 1875, and three village trustees and other officials were elected.[24] By 1880, the town's population stood at 2,453.[43]
Aerial lithograph of Phoenix from 1885
By 1881, Phoenix's continued growth made the board of trustees obsolete. The Territorial Legislature passed the Phoenix Charter Bill, incorporating Phoenix and providing a mayor-council government; Governor John C. Fremont signed the bill on February 25, 1881, officially incorporating Phoenix as a city with a population of around 2,500.[24]
The railroad's arrival in the valley in the 1880s was the first of several events that made Phoenix a trade center whose products reached eastern and western markets. In response, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was organized on November 4, 1888.[44] The city offices moved into the new City Hall at Washington and Central in 1888.[24] The territorial capital moved from Prescott to Phoenix in 1889, and the territorial offices were also in City Hall.[45] The arrival of the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway in 1895 connected Phoenix to Prescott, Flagstaff, and other communities in the northern part of the territory. The increased access to commerce expedited the city's economic rise. The Phoenix Union High School was established in 1895 with an enrollment of 90.[24]
1901 to World War II
Central Avenue, Phoenix, 1908
On February 25, 1901, Governor Oakes Murphy dedicated the permanent Capitol building,[24] and the Carnegie Free Library opened seven years later, on February 18, 1908, dedicated by Benjamin Fowler.[46] The National Reclamation Act was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, which allowed dams to be built on waterways in the west for reclamation purposes.[47] The first dam constructed under the act, Salt River Dam#1, began in 1903. It supplied both water and electricity, becoming the first multi-purpose dam, and Roosevelt attended the official dedication on May 18, 1911. At the time, it was the largest masonry dam in the world, forming a lake in the mountains east of Phoenix.[48] The dam would be renamed after Teddy Roosevelt in 1917,[49] and the lake would follow suit in 1959.[50]
On February 14, 1912, Phoenix became a state capital, as Arizona was admitted to the Union as the 48th state under President William Howard Taft.[51] This occurred just six months after Taft had vetoed a joint congressional resolution granting statehood to Arizona, due to his disapproval of the state constitution's position on the recall of judges.[52] In 1913, Phoenix's move from a mayor-council system to council-manager made it one of the first cities in the United States with this form of city government. After statehood, Phoenix's growth started to accelerate; eight years later, its population reached 29,053. In 1920, Phoenix would see its first skyscraper, the Heard Building; it was the tallest building in the state until the completion of the Luhrs Building in 1924.[24] In 1929, Sky Harbor was officially opened, at the time owned by Scenic Airways. The city purchased it in 1935 and continues to operate it today.[53]
Phoenix skyline, c. 1940
On March 4, 1930, former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge dedicated a dam on the Gila River named in his honor. However, the state had just been through a long drought, and the reservoir which was supposed to be behind the dam was virtually dry. The humorist Will Rogers, who was on hand as a guest speaker joked, "If that was my lake, I'd mow it."[54] Phoenix's population had nearly doubled during the 1920s and by 1930 stood at 48,118.[24] It was also during the 1930s that Phoenix and its surrounding area began to be called "The Valley of the Sun", which was an advertising slogan invented to boost tourism.[55]
During World War II, Phoenix's economy shifted to that of a distribution center, transforming into an "embryonic industrial city" with the mass production of military supplies.[24] There were three air force fields in the area: Luke Field, Williams Field, and Falcon Field, as well as two large pilot training camps, Thunderbird Field No. 1 in Glendale and Thunderbird Field No. 2 in Scottsdale.[24][56][57]
Post-World War II explosive growth
A town that had just over 65,000 residents in 1940 became America's fifth most populous city by 2020, with a population of nearly 1.6 million, and millions more in nearby suburbs. After the war, many of the men who had undergone their training in Arizona returned with their new families. Learning of this large untapped labor pool enticed many large industries to move their operations to the area.[24] In 1948, high-tech industry, which would become a staple of the state's economy, arrived in Phoenix when Motorola chose Phoenix as the site of its new research and development center for military electronics. Seeing the same advantages as Motorola, other high-tech companies, such as Intel and McDonnell Douglas, moved into the valley and opened manufacturing operations.[58][59]
By 1950, over 105,000 people resided in the city and thousands more in surrounding communities.[24] The 1950s growth was spurred on by advances in air conditioning, which allowed homes and businesses to offset the extreme heat experienced in Phoenix and the surrounding areas during its long summers. There was more new construction in Phoenix in 1959 alone than from 1914 to 1946.[60]
Like many emerging American cities at the time, Phoenix's spectacular growth did not occur evenly. It largely took place on the city's north side, a region that was nearly all Caucasian. In 1962, one local activist testified at a US Commission on Civil Rights of hearing that of 31,000 homes that had recently sprung up in this neighborhood, not a single one had been sold to an African-American.[61] Phoenix's African-American and Mexican-American communities remained largely sequestered on the south side of town. The color lines were so rigid that no one north of Van Buren Street would rent to the African-American baseball star Willie Mays, in town for spring training in the 1960s.[62] In 1964, a reporter from The New Republic wrote of segregation in these terms: "Apartheid is complete. The two cities look at each other across a golf course."[63]
1960s to present
Phoenix in May 1972, with South Mountain in the background
The continued rapid population growth led more businesses to the valley to take advantage of the labor pool,[64] and manufacturing, particularly in the electronics sector, continued to grow.[65] The convention and tourism industries saw rapid expansion during the 1960s, with tourism becoming the third largest industry by the end of the decade.[66] In 1965, the Phoenix Corporate Center opened; at the time it was the tallest building in Arizona, topping off at 341 feet.[67] The 1960s saw many other buildings constructed as the city expanded rapidly, including the Rosenzweig Center (1964), today called Phoenix City Square,[68] the landmark Phoenix Financial Center (1964),[69] as well as many of Phoenix's residential high-rises. In 1965 the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum opened at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, west of downtown. When Phoenix was awarded an NBA franchise in 1968, which would be called the Phoenix Suns,[70][71] they played their home games at the Coliseum until 1992, after which they moved to America West Arena.[72] In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson approved the Central Arizona Project, assuring future water supplies for Phoenix, Tucson, and the agricultural corridor between them.[73][74] The following year, Pope Paul VI created the Diocese of Phoenix on December 2, by splitting the Archdiocese of Tucson, with Edward A. McCarthy as the first Bishop.[75]
In the 1970s the downtown area experienced a resurgence, with a level of construction activity not seen again until the urban real estate boom of the 2000s. By the end of the decade, Phoenix adopted the Phoenix Concept 2000 plan which split the city into urban villages, each with its own village core where greater height and density was permitted, further shaping the free-market development culture. The nine original villages[76] have expanded to 15 over the years (see Cityscape below). This officially turned Phoenix into a city of many nodes, which would later be connected by freeways. The Phoenix Symphony Hall opened in 1972;[77] other major structures which saw construction downtown during this decade were the First National Bank Plaza, the Valley Center (the tallest building in Arizona),[78] and the Arizona Bank building.
There was an influx of refugees due to low-cost housing in the Sunnyslope area in the 1990s, resulting in 43 different languages being spoken in local schools by 2000.[82] The new 20-story City Hall opened in 1992.[83]
Phoenix has maintained a growth streak in recent years, growing by 24.2% before 2007. This made it the second-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States, surpassed only by Las Vegas.[84] In 2008, Squaw Peak, the city's second tallest mountain, was renamed Piestewa Peak after Army Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa, an Arizonan and the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military, as well as being the first American female casualty of the 2003 Iraq War.[85] 2008 also saw Phoenix as one of the cities hardest hit by the subprime mortgage crisis, and by early 2009 the median home price was $150,000, down from its $262,000 peak in 2007.[86] Crime rates in Phoenix have fallen in recent years, and once troubled, decaying neighborhoods such as South Mountain, Alhambra, and Maryvale have recovered and stabilized. On June 1, 2023, the State of Arizona announced the decision to halt new housing development in the Phoenix metropolitan area that relies solely on groundwater due to a predicted water shortfall.[87]
Geography
Sentinel-2 satellite image of the Phoenix metro area in 2020
Phoenix is in the south-central portion of Arizona; about halfway between Tucson to the southeast and Flagstaff to the north, in the Southwestern United States. By car, the city is approximately 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of the US–Mexico border at Sonoyta and 180 mi (290 km) north of the border at Nogales. The metropolitan area is known as the "Valley of the Sun" due to its location in the Salt River Valley.[55] It lies at a mean elevation of 1,086 feet (331 m), in the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert.[88]
Other than the mountains in and around the city, Phoenix's topography is generally flat, which allows the city's main streets to run on a precise grid with wide, open-spaced roadways. Scattered, low mountain ranges surround the valley: McDowell Mountains to the northeast, the White Tank Mountains to the west, the Superstition Mountains far to the east, and both South Mountain and the Sierra Estrella to the south/southwest. Camelback Mountain, North Mountain, Sunnyslope Mountain, and Piestewa Peak are within the heart of the valley. The city's outskirts have large fields of irrigated cropland and Native American reservation lands.[89] The Salt River runs westward through Phoenix, but the riverbed is often dry or contains little water due to large irrigation diversions. South Mountain separates the community of Ahwatukee from the rest of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 517.9 sq mi (1,341 km2), of which 516.7 sq mi (1,338 km2) is land and 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2), or 0.2%, is water.
Maricopa County grew by 711% from 186,000 in 1940 to 1,509,000 by 1980, due in part to air conditioning, cheap housing, and an influx of retirees. The once "modest urban sprawl" now "grew by 'epic' proportions—not only a myriad of residential tract developments on both farmland and desert." Retail outlets and office complexes spread out and did not concentrate in the small downtown area. There was low population density and a lack of widespread and significant high-rise development.[90] As a consequence Phoenix became a textbook case of urban sprawl for geographers.[91][92][93][94][95][96] Even though it is the fifth most populated city in the United States, the large area gives it a low density rate of approximately 2,797 people per square mile.[97] In comparison, Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city with nearly the same population as Phoenix, has a density of over 11,000 people per square mile.[98]
Like most of Arizona, Phoenix does not observe daylight saving time. In 1973, Governor Jack Williams argued to the U.S. Congress that energy use would increase in the evening should Arizona observe DST. He went on to say energy use would also rise early in the day "because there would be more lights on in the early morning." Additionally, he said daylight saving time would cause children to go to school in the dark.[99]
A panoramic view of Phoenix from the South Mountain range, winter 2008, with Sky Harbor International Airport on the far right
Neighborhoods
Map of the urban villages of Phoenix
Since 1979, the city of Phoenix has been divided into urban villages, many of which are based upon historically significant neighborhoods and communities that have since been annexed into Phoenix.[100] Each village has a planning committee appointed directly by the city council. According to the city-issued village planning handbook, the purpose of the village planning committees is to "work with the city's planning commission to ensure a balance of housing and employment in each village, concentrate development at identified village cores, and to promote the unique character and identity of the villages."[101] There are 15 urban villages: Ahwatukee Foothills, Alhambra, Camelback East, Central City, Deer Valley, Desert View, Encanto, Estrella, Laveen, Maryvale, North Gateway, North Mountain, Paradise Valley, Rio Vista, and South Mountain.
The urban village of Paradise Valley is distinct from the nearby Town of Paradise Valley. Although the urban village is part of Phoenix, the town is independent.
The greater Phoenix region is home to the only thriving feral population of rosy-faced lovebirds in the U.S. This bird is a popular birdcage pet, native to southwestern Africa. Feral birds were first observed living outdoors in 1987, probably escaped or released pets, and by 2010 the Greater Phoenix population had grown to about 950 birds. These lovebirds prefer older neighborhoods where they nest under untrimmed, dead palm tree fronds.[105][106]
Phoenix has a hot desert climate (Köppen:BWh),[19][20] typical of the Sonoran Desert, and is the largest city in the Americas in this climatic zone.[110] Phoenix has long, extremely hot summers and short, mild winters. The city is within one of the world's sunniest regions, with its sunshine duration comparable to the Sahara region. With 3,872 hours of bright sunshine annually, Phoenix receives the most sunshine of any major city on Earth.[111] Average high temperatures in summer are the hottest of any major city in the United States.[112] On average, there are 111 days annually with a high of at least 100 °F (38 °C), including most days from the end of May through late September. Highs top 110 °F (43 °C) an average of 21 days during the year.[113] On June 26, 1990, the temperature reached an all-time recorded high of 122 °F (50 °C).[114] The annual minimum temperature in Phoenix is in the mid-to-low 30s.[113] It rarely drops to 32 °F (0 °C) or below. Snow is rare.[citation needed]
In July 2023, Phoenix became the first major city in the US to have an average monthly temperature of over 100 °F (38 °C) with an average daily mean temperature for the month at 102.7 °F (39 °C), which is also the hottest month ever recorded in the city.[115] That same month the city had an unprecedented streak of 31 days with 110 °F (43 °C)+ highs that lasted from June 30 to July 30.[116] That year the city also had a record 55 days of daily highs topping 110 °F (43 °C)+, which also made summer of 2023 the hottest on record there,[117] until it was beaten by the summer of 2024 with the hottest ever June at 97.0 °F (36 °C),[118] the third hottest August[119] at 98.7 °F (37 °C) and the 2nd hottest July record at 101.1 °F (38 °C) by average daily temperature respectively.[120] That same year in 2024, it also recorded an unprecedented 113 day streak of daily highs topping 100 °F (38 °C)+ that lasted from May 27 to September 16 and ultimately recorded a record 70 110 °F (43 °C) days in a single year, ending by October 7.[121][122] Because extreme heat is so common, nearly all homes in Phoenix have air conditioning, though poorer residents may not be able to afford to repair or operate them when needed.[123]
Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, was ranked seventh for most ozone pollution in the United States according to the American Lung Association.[124] Vehicle emissions are cited as precursors to ozone formation. Phoenix also has high levels of particulate pollution; although cities in California lead the nation in this hazard.[125] PM2.5 particulate matter, which is a component of diesel engine exhaust, and larger PM10 particles, which can come from dust, can both reach concerning levels in Phoenix.[126] In fact, people, pets, and other animals exposed to high concentrations of PM10 dust particles―primarily from dust storms or from disturbed agricultural or construction sites―are at risk of contracting Valley Fever, a fungal lung infection.[127]
Unlike most desert locations which have drastic fluctuations between day and nighttime temperatures, the urban heat island effect limits Phoenix's diurnal temperature variation.[128] As the city has expanded, average summer low temperatures have been steadily rising. Pavement, sidewalks, and buildings store the Sun's heat and radiate it at night.[129] The daily normal low remains at or above 80 °F (27 °C) for an average of 74 days per summer.[113] On July 19, 2023, at the height of an unprecedent heatwave that caused daily highs to top 110 °F (43 °C) or higher that lasted for 31 days straight, Phoenix set its record for the warmest daily low temperature, at 97 °F (36 °C).[113]
The city averages approximately 300 days of sunshine, or over 85% of daylight hours, per year,[130][131] and receives scant rainfall―the average annual total at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is 7.22 in (183 mm). The region's trademark dry and sunny weather is interrupted by sporadic Pacific storms in the winter and the arrival of the North American monsoon in the summer.[132] Historically, the monsoon officially started when the average dew point was 55 °F (13 °C) for three days in a row—typically occurring in early July. To increase monsoon awareness and promote safety, however, the National Weather Service decreed that starting in 2008, June 15 would be the official "first day" of the monsoon, and it would end on September 30.[133] When active, the monsoon raises humidity levels and can cause heavy localized precipitation, flash floods, hail, destructive winds, and dust storms[134]—which can rise to the level of a haboob in some years.[135]
Climate data for Phoenix Int'l, Arizona (1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1895–present)[b]
Median household income across metro Phoenix; the darker the green, the higher the income.[141]Percent of people living in poverty across metro Phoenix; the darker the red, the higher the concentration of poverty.[142]
As of 2020, Phoenix was the fifth most populous city in the United States, with the census bureau placing its population at 1,608,139, edging out Philadelphia with a population of 1,567,872.[145] In the aftermath of the Great Recession, Phoenix had a population of 1,445,632 according to the 2010 United States census, the sixth largest city and still the most populous state capital in the United States.[146] Prior to the Great Recession, in 2006, Phoenix's population was 1,512,986, the fifth largest just ahead of Philadelphia.[146]
After leading the U.S. in population growth for over a decade, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, followed by the recession, led to a slowing in the growth of Phoenix. There were approximately 77,000 people added to the population of the Phoenix metropolitan area in 2009, which was down significantly from its peak in 2006 of 162,000.[147][148] Despite this slowing, Phoenix's population grew by 9.4% since the 2000 census (a total of 124,000 people), while the entire Phoenix metropolitan area grew by 28.9% during the same period. This compares with an overall growth rate nationally during the same time frame of 9.7%.[149][150] Not since 1940–50, when the city had a population of 107,000, had the city gained less than 124,000 in a decade. Phoenix's recent growth rate of 9.4% from the 2010 census is the first time it has recorded a growth rate under 24% in a census decade.[151] However, in 2016, Phoenix once again became the fastest growing city in the United States, adding approximately 88 people per day during the preceding year.[145]
The Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (officially known as the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler MSA[152]), is one of 10 MSAs in Arizona, and was the 11th largest in the United States, with a 2018 U.S. census population estimate of 4,857,962, up from the 2010 census population of 4,192,887. Consisting of both Pinal and Maricopa counties, the MSA accounts for 65.5% of Arizona's population.[149][150] Phoenix only contributed 13% to the total growth rate of the MSA, down significantly from its 33% share during the prior decade.[151] Phoenix is also part of the Arizona Sun Corridormegaregion (MR), which is the tenth most populous of the 11 MRs, and the eighth largest by area. It had the second largest growth by percentage of the MRs (behind only the Gulf Coast MR) between 2000 and 2010.[153]
The population is almost equally split between men and women, with men making up 50.2% of city's citizens. The population density is 2,797.8 people per square mile, and the city's median age is 32.2 years, with only 10.9 of the population being over 62. 98.5% of Phoenix's population lives in households with an average household size of 2.77 people.
There were 514,806 total households, with 64.2% of those households consisting of families: 42.3% married couples, 7% with an unmarried male as head of household, and 14.9% with an unmarried female as head of household. 33.6% of those households have children below the age of 18. Of the 35.8% of non-family households, 27.1% have a householder living alone, almost evenly split between men and women, with women having 13.7% and men occupying 13.5%.
As of 2020, Phoenix has 590,149 dwelling units, with an occupancy rate of 87.2%. The largest segment of vacancies is in the rental market, where the vacancy rate is 14.9%, and 51% of all vacancies are in rentals. Vacant houses for sale only make up 17.7% of the vacancies, with the rest being split among vacation properties and other various reasons.[154]
The city's median household income was $47,866, and the median family income was $54,804. Males had a median income of $32,820 versus $27,466 for females. The city's per capita income was $24,110. 21.8% of the population and 17.1% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 31.4% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[155]
Ethnicity
Ethnic origins in PhoenixMap of racial distribution in Phoenix, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Other
Phoenix's population has historically been predominantly white.[citation needed] From 1890 to 1970, over 90% of the citizens were white.[citation needed] In recent years, this percentage has dropped, reaching 65% in 2010. However, a large part of this decrease can be attributed to new guidelines put out by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1980, when a question regarding Hispanic origin was added to the census questionnaire. This has led to an increasing tendency for some groups to no longer self-identify as white, and instead categorize themselves as "other races".[156]
20.6% of the population of the city was foreign born in 2010. Of the 1,342,803 residents over five years of age, 63.5% spoke only English, 30.6% spoke Spanish at home, 2.5% spoke another Indo-European language, 2.1% spoke Asian or Islander languages, with the remaining 1.4% speaking other languages. About 15.7% of non-English speakers reported speaking English less than "very well". The largest national ancestries reported were Mexican (35.9%), German (15.3%), Irish (10.3%), English (9.4%), Black (6.5%), Italian (4.5%), French (2.7%), Polish (2.5%), American Indian (2.2%), and Scottish (2.0%).[161]Hispanics or Latinos of any race make up 40.8% of the population. Of these the largest groups are at 35.9% Mexican, 0.6% Puerto Rican, 0.5% Guatemalan, 0.3% Salvadoran, 0.3% Cuban.
Phoenix has the largest urban Native American population in Arizona. Phoenix has around 200 Dakota Sioux, approximately 100 Minnesota Chippewas, 100 Kiowas, about 175 Creeks, 100 Choctaws, several hundred Cherokees, several hundred Pueblos, and smaller numbers of Shawnees, Blackfeet, Pawnees, Cheyennes, Iroquois, Tlingit, Yakimas and other Native Americans from far away states.[162]
Hispanics are now the majority in Phoenix.[23] African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans live primarily in the southern portion of Phoenix, below the downtown district.[163]
According to the National Immigration Forum, the majority of Phoenix's immigrants are from Latin America: Mexico (196,941), Guatemala (5.093), El Salvador (2,980); Asia: India (10,128), Philippines (5.756), Vietnam (4,698); Africa: Ethiopia (1,157), Liberia (1,089), Sudan (1,067) and Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina (2.944), Germany (2,847) and Romania (1,658).[164]
According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 66% of the population of the city identified themselves as Christians,[165][166] while 26% claimed no religious affiliation. The same study says other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively make up about 7% of the population. In 2010, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives, which conducts religious census each ten years, 39% of those polled in Maricopa county considered themselves a member of a religious group. Of those who expressed a religious affiliation, the area's religious composition was reported as 35% Catholic, 22% to Evangelical Protestant denominations, 16% Latter-Day Saints (LDS), 14% to nondenominational congregations, 7% to Mainline Protestant denominations, and 2% Hindu. The remaining 4% belong to other religions, such as Buddhism and Judaism.
While the number of religious adherents increased by 103,000 during the decade, the growth did not keep pace with the county's overall population increase of almost three-quarters of million individuals during the same period. The largest aggregate increases were in the LDS (a 58% increase) and Evangelical Protestant churches (14% increase), while all other categories saw their numbers drop slightly or remain static. The Catholic Church had an 8% drop, while mainline Protestant groups saw a 28% decline.[167]
Phoenix's early economy focused on agriculture and natural resources, especially the "5Cs" of copper, cattle, climate, cotton, and citrus.[17] With the opening of the Union Station in 1923, the establishment of the Southern Pacific rail line in 1926, and the creation of Sky Harbor airport in 1928, the city became more easily accessible.[169] The Great Depression affected Phoenix, but Phoenix had a diverse economy and by 1934 the recovery was underway.[170][171] At the conclusion of World War II, the valley's economy surged, as many men who had completed their military training at bases in and around Phoenix returned with their families. The construction industry, spurred on by the city's growth, further expanded with the development of Sun City. It became the template for suburban development in post-WWII America,[172] and Sun City became the template for retirement communities when it opened in 1960.[173][174] The city averaged a four percent annual growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s.[22]
As the subprime mortgage crisis began, construction in Phoenix collapsed and housing prices plunged.[175] Arizona jobs declined by 11.8% from peak to trough; in 2007 Phoenix had 1,918,100 employed individuals, by 2010 that number had shrunk by 226,500 to 1,691,600.[176] By the end of 2015, the employment number in Phoenix had risen to 1.97 million, finally regaining its pre-recession levels,[177] with job growth occurring across the board.[178]
As of 2017, the Phoenix MSA had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of just under $243 billion. The top five industries were: real estate ($41.96), finance and insurance ($19.71), manufacturing ($19.91), retail trade ($18.64), and health care ($19.78). Government (including federal, state and local), if it had been a private industry, would have been ranked second on the list, generating $23.37 billion.[179]
In Phoenix, real estate developers face few constraints when planning and developing new projects.[180]
Employment
As of 2024, Phoenix had a per capita income of $61,840 and an unemployment rate of 3.3%;[181] the top employers were:
Phoenix is also home to several Fortune 500 companies, including: electronics corporation Avnet,[182] mining company Freeport-McMoRan,[183] retailer PetSmart,[184] and waste hauler Republic Services.[185]Honeywell's Aerospace division is headquartered in Phoenix, and the valley hosts many of their avionics and mechanical facilities.[186] Intel has one of their largest sites in the area, employing about 12,000 employees, the second largest Intel location in the country.[187] The city is also home to the headquarters of U-HAUL International, Best Western, and Apollo Group, parent of the University of Phoenix. Southwest is the largest carrier at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. Mesa Air Group, a regional airline group, is headquartered in Phoenix.[188]
The U.S. military has a large presence in Phoenix, with Luke Air Force Base in the western suburbs. The city was severely affected by the effects of the sub-prime mortgage crash. However, Phoenix has recovered 83% of the jobs lost due to the recession.[180]
The city has many performing arts venues, most of which are in and around downtown Phoenix or Scottsdale. The Phoenix Symphony Hall is home to the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona.[189] The Arizona Opera company also has intimate performances at its new Arizona Opera Center, which opened in March 2013.[190] Another venue is the Orpheum Theatre, home to the Phoenix Opera.[191] Ballet Arizona, in addition to the Symphony Hall, also has performances at the Orpheum Theatre and the Dorrance Theater. Concerts also regularly make stops in the area. The largest downtown performing art venue is the Herberger Theater Center, which houses three performance spaces and is home to two resident companies, the Arizona Theatre Company and the Centre Dance Ensemble. Three other groups also use the facility: Valley Youth Theatre, iTheatre Collaborative[192] and Actors Theater.[193]
Designed by Alden B. Dow, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Phoenix Art Museum was constructed in a single year, opening in November 1959.[198] The Phoenix Art Museum has the southwest's largest collection of visual art, containing more than 17,000 works of contemporary and modern art from around the world.[199][200][201] Interactive exhibits can be found in nearby Peoria's Challenger Space Center, where individuals learn about space, renewable energies, and meet astronauts.[202]
The Heard Museum has over 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m2) of gallery, classroom and performance space. Some of the museum's signature exhibits include a full Navajohogan, the Mareen Allen Nichols Collection of 260 pieces of contemporary jewelry, the Barry Goldwater Collection of 437 historic Hopikachina dolls, and an exhibit on the 19th-century boarding school experiences of Native Americans. The Heard Museum attracts about 250,000 visitors a year.[203]
Arizona has museums, journals, societies, and libraries that serve as sources of important cultural heritage knowledge. They include the Arizona State Archives Historic Photographs Memory Project,[204] which includes over 90,000 images that focus on the unique history of Arizona as a state and territory, the Arizona Historical Society,[205] the Journal of Arizona History,[206] and numerous museum databases.
The Artlink organization and the galleries downtown launched a First Friday cross-Phoenix gallery opening.[207] In April 2009, artist Janet Echelman installed Her Secret Is Patience, a netted sculpture suspended above Phoenix Civic Space Park that makes patterns of desert wind visible. During the day, the 100-foot (30 m)-tall sculpture hovers above the park, and at night, the illumination changes color gradually through the seasons.[208]
Phoenix is the home of a unique architectural tradition and community. Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Phoenix in 1937 and built his winter home, Taliesin West, and the main campus for The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.[209] Over the years, Phoenix has attracted notable architects who have made it their home and grown successful practices. These architectural studios embrace the desert climate, and are unconventional in their approach to the practice of design. They include the Paolo Soleri (who created Arcosanti),[210]Al Beadle,[211]Will Bruder,[212] Wendell Burnette,[213] and Blank Studio[214] architectural design studios. Another major force in architectural landscape of the city was Ralph Haver whose firm, Haver & Nunn, designed commercial, industrial and residential structures throughout the valley. Of particular note was his trademark, "Haver Home", which were affordable contemporary-style tract houses.[215]
Tourism
The tourist industry is the longest running of the top industries in Phoenix. Starting with promotions back in the 1920s, the industry has grown into one of the top 10 in the city.[216] With nearly 28,000 hotel rooms in over 175 hotels and resorts Phoenix sees over 19 million visitors each year, most of whom are leisure travelers. Sky Harbor Airport, which serves the Greater Phoenix area, serves about 45 million passengers a year, ranking it among the nation's 10 busiest airports.[217]
Due to its natural environment and climate, Phoenix has a number of outdoor attractions and recreational activities. The Phoenix Zoo is the largest privately owned nonprofit zoo in the United States. Since opening in 1962, it has developed an international reputation for its efforts on animal conservation, including breeding and reintroducing endangered species into the wild.[219] The adjacent Phoenix Botanical Gardens, opened in 1939, are acclaimed worldwide for their art and flora exhibits and educational programs, featuring the largest collection of arid plants in the U.S.[220][221][222]South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in the U.S., is also the highest desert mountain preserve in the world.[223]
Many annual events in and near Phoenix celebrate the city's heritage and its diversity. They include the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, the world's largest horse show; Matsuri, a celebration of Japanese culture; Pueblo Grande Indian Market, an event highlighting Native American arts and crafts; Grand Menorah Lighting, a December event celebrating Hanukah; ZooLights, a December evening event at the Phoenix Zoo that features millions of lights; the Arizona State Fair, begun in 1884; Scottish Gathering & Highland Games, an event celebrating Scottish heritage; Estrella War, a celebration of medieval life; and the Tohono O'odham Nation Rodeo & Fair, Oldest Indian rodeo in Arizona[225][226][227][228]
Cuisine
Phoenix is also renowned for its Mexican food, thanks to its large Hispanic population and its proximity to Mexico. Some of Phoenix's restaurants have a long history. The Stockyards steakhouse dates to 1947, while Monti's La Casa Vieja (Spanish for "The Old House") was in operation as a restaurant since the 1890s, but closed its doors November 17, 2014.[229][230] Macayo's (a Mexican restaurant chain) was established in Phoenix in 1946, and other major Mexican restaurants include Garcia's (1956) and Manuel's (1964).[231] The population boom has brought people from all over the nation, and to a lesser extent from other countries, and has since influenced the local cuisine. Phoenix boasts cuisines from all over the world, such as barbecue, Cajun/Creole, Greek, Hawaiian, Irish, Japanese, Italian, fusion, Persian, Indian (South Asian), Korean, Spanish, Thai, Chinese, southwestern, Tex-Mex, Vietnamese, Brazilian, and French.[232]
The first McDonald's franchise was sold by the McDonald brothers to a Phoenix entrepreneur in 1952. Neil Fox paid $1,000 for the rights to open an establishment based on the McDonald brothers' restaurant.[233] The hamburger stand opened in 1953 on the southwest corner of Central Avenue and Indian School Road, on the growing north side of Phoenix, and was the first location to sport the now internationally known golden arches, which were initially twice the height of the building. Three other franchise locations opened that year, two years before Ray Kroc purchased McDonald's.[233]
Phoenix is home to several professional sports franchises, and until recently, was one of only 13 U.S. metropolitan areas to have representatives of all four major professional sports leagues, although only one of these teams actually carry the city name and two of them play within the city limits.[234][235]
The Phoenix Suns were the first major sports team in Phoenix, being granted a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise in 1968.[236] They lost the 1976 NBA Championship to the Boston Celtics in 6 games. They had originally played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum before moving to America West Arena (now PHX Arena) in 1992.[237] The year following their move to the new arena, the Suns made it to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history, losing to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, four games to two.[238] The U.S. Airways Center hosted both the 1995 and the 2009 NBA All-Star Games.[239] They also lost the 2021 NBA Finals in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball began play as an expansion team in 1998. The team has played all of its home games in the same downtown park, now known as Chase Field.[240][241] It is the second highest stadium in the U.S. (after Coors Field in Denver), and is known for its swimming pool beyond the outfield fence.[242] In 2001, the Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees four games to three in the World Series,[243] becoming the city's first professional sports franchise to win a national championship while in Arizona. The win was also the fastest an expansion team had ever won the World Series, surpassing the old mark of the Florida Marlins of five years, set in 1997.[244]
The Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League, formerly the original Winnipeg Jets, moved to the area in 1996.[249] They originally played their home games at America West Arena in downtown Phoenix before moving in December 2003 to the Glendale Arena (now named the Desert Diamond Arena) in Glendale.[250] In 2022, the Coyotes lost their lease in Glendale and moved to the then newly opened Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University.[251] They were working with the city of Tempe to create a new entertainment district. However, after residents of Tempe rejected a bond initiative to pay for a new stadium, the Coyotes were deactivated, and the team's assets were moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.[252] The Coyotes have a five-year window to get a new arena in the area where they will be reactivated as an expansion franchise, otherwise the league will cease all operations for the franchise.[253]
*Note: The Cardinals won their two pre-modern era championships while in Chicago.*Note: The Cardinals moved to Phoenix from St. Louis in 1988.
Other sports
The Phoenix area hosts two annual college football bowl games: the Fiesta Bowl, played at State Farm Stadium,[256] and the Rate Bowl (which has undergone several name changes), held at Chase Field.[257]
The Greater Phoenix area is home to the Cactus League, one of two spring training leagues for Major League Baseball. With the move by the Colorado Rockies and the Diamondbacks to their new facility in the Salt River Indian Community, the league is entirely based in the Greater Phoenix area. With the Cincinnati Reds' move to Goodyear, half of MLB's 30 teams are now included in the Cactus League.[263]
Phoenix International Raceway was built in 1964 with a one-mile (1.6 km) oval, with a one-of-a-kind design, as well as a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) road course.[264] It hosts several NASCAR events per season, and the annual Fall NASCAR weekend, which includes events from four different NASCAR classes, is a huge event.[265][266]Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park (formerly Firebird International Raceway) hosts NHRA events in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Phoenix is home to a large number of parks and recreation areas. The city of Phoenix includes national parks, Maricopa County parks and city parks. Tonto National Forest forms part of the city's northeast boundary, while the county has the largest park system in the country.[272]
The city park system established to preserve the desert landscape in areas that would otherwise have succumbed to development includes South Mountain Park, the world's largest municipal park with 16,500 acres (67 km2).[273] The system's 182 parks contain over 41,900 acres (16,956 ha), making it the largest municipal park system in the country.[274] The park system has facilities for hiking, camping, swimming, horseback riding, cycling, and climbing.[275] Some of the system's other notable parks include Camelback Mountain, Encanto Park, Phoenix Mountains Preserve and Sunnyslope Mountain, also known as "S" Mountain.[276]
Papago Park in east Phoenix is home to both the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo, in addition to several golf courses and the Hole-in-the-Rock geological formation. The Desert Botanical Garden, which opened in 1939, is one of the few public gardens in the country dedicated to desert plants and displays desert plant life from all over the world. The Phoenix Zoo is the largest privately owned non-profit zoo in the United States and is internationally known for its programs devoted to saving endangered species.[277]
The Arizona State Capitol, which used to house the state legislature, is now a museum.
In 1913, Phoenix adopted a new form of government, switching from the mayor-council system to the council-manager system, making it one of the first cities in the United States with this form of city government, where a city manager supervises all city departments and executes the policies adopted by the council.[278][279] Today, Phoenix represents the largest municipal government of this type in the country.[280]
The city council consists of a mayor and eight city council members. While the mayor is elected in a citywide election, Phoenix City Council members are elected by votes only in the districts they represent, with both the Mayor and the Council members serving four-year terms.[281] The mayor of Phoenix is Kate Gallego. The mayor and city council members each have equal voting power in regards to setting city policy and passing rules and regulations.[281]Sunshine Review gave the city's website a Sunny Award for its transparency efforts.[282]
As the capital of Arizona, Phoenix houses the state legislature,[283] along with numerous state government agencies, many of which are in the State Capitol district immediately west of downtown. The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections operates the Adobe Mountain and Black Canyon Schools in Phoenix.[284] Another major state government facility is the Arizona State Hospital, operated by the Arizona Department of Health Services. This is a mental health center and is the only medical facility run by the state government.[285] The headquarters of numerous Arizona state government agencies are in Phoenix, with many in the State Capitol district.
The Federal Building is at the intersection of Van Buren Street and First Avenue downtown. It contains various federal field offices and the local division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.[288] This building formerly housed the U.S. District Court offices and courtrooms, but these were moved in 2001 to the new Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse. Before the construction of this building in 1961, federal government offices were housed in the historic U.S. Post Office on Central Avenue, completed in the 1930s.[289]
Crime
Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower at 1700 W. Washington St.
By the 1960s, crime was a major problem in Phoenix, and by the 1970s, crime continued to increase in the city at a faster rate than almost anywhere else in the country.[290] It was during this time frame when an incident occurred in Phoenix which would have national implications. On March 16, 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested and charged with rape. The subsequent Supreme Court ruling on June 13, 1966, Miranda v. Arizona, has led to practice in the United States of issuing a Miranda Warning to all suspected criminals.[291]
With Phoenix's rapid growth, one of the prime areas of criminal activity was land fraud. The practice became so widespread that newspapers would refer to Phoenix as the Tainted Desert.[292] These land frauds led to one of the more infamous murders in the history of the valley, when Arizona Republic writer Don Bolles was murdered by a car bomb in 1976.[293][294] It was believed his investigative reporting on organized crime and land fraud in Phoenix made him a target.[295][296][297] Bolles was the only reporter from a major U.S. newspaper to be murdered on U.S. soil due to his coverage of a story.[295] Max Dunlap was convicted of first-degree murder in the case.[297]
Street gangs and the drug trade had turned into public safety issues by the 1980s, and the crime rate in Phoenix continued to grow.[298] After seeing a peak in the early and mid-1990s, the city has seen a general decrease in crime rates. The Maricopa County Jail system is the fourth-largest in the country.[299] The violent crime rate peaked in 1993 at 1146 crimes per 100,000 people, while the property crime rate peaked a few years earlier, in 1989, at 9,966 crimes per 100,000.[300]
In 2001 and 2002, Phoenix ranked first in the nation in vehicle thefts, with over 22,000 and 25,000 cars stolen each year respectively.[301] It has declined every year since then, eventually falling to 7,200 in 2014, a drop of almost 70% during that timeframe.[302] The Phoenix MSA has dropped to 70th in the nation in terms of car thefts in 2012.[303]
On August 2, 2022, a mass shooting took place in the Deer Valley area of Phoenix. The shooter killed two bystanders and injured five others before committing suicide.[304]
Politics
Long a swing region in Arizona, Phoenix's urban core has increasingly trended toward the Democratic Party in recent years, leading a shift seen across the rest of the state. Margaret Hance was elected the city's first female mayor in 1975.
Presidential election results for Phoenix's urban core[305]
33 school districts provide public education in the Phoenix area. This is a legacy of numerous annexations over the years; many of the school districts existed before their territories became part of Phoenix.
There are 21 elementary school districts, which have over 215 elementary schools, paired with four high school districts with 31 high schools serving Phoenix. Three of the high school districts (Glendale Union, Tempe Union, and Tolleson Union) only partially serve Phoenix. With over 27,000 students, and spread over 220 square miles (570 km2), Phoenix Union High School District is one of the largest high school districts in the country, containing 16 schools and nearly 3,000 employees.[306] In addition, there are four unified districts, which cover grades K–12, which add an additional 58 elementary schools and four high schools to Phoenix's educational system. Of those four, only the Paradise Valley district completely serves Phoenix.[307] Phoenix is also served by a growing number of charter schools, with well over 100 operating in the city.[308]
The Maricopa County Community College District includes ten community colleges and two skills centers throughout Maricopa County, providing adult education and job training. Phoenix College, part of the district, was founded in 1920 and is the oldest community college in Arizona and one of the oldest in the country.[315]
The city is also home to many other institutions of higher learning such as the Phoenix Seminary, a Protestant seminary that imparts degree in biblical studies, Christian theology, church history and counseling. Notable institutions include: Barrow Neurological Institute, the world's largest neurological disease treatment and research institution;[316]Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university initially founded in 1949 as a non-profit school,[317] it now operates as a for-profit institution;[318] the University of Phoenix, also a for-profit college, is based out of the city.
Phoenix's first newspaper was the weekly Salt River Valley Herald, established in 1878, which would change its name the following year to the Phoenix Herald. The paper would go through several additional name changes in its early years before finally settling on the Phoenix Herald, which still exists today in an online form.[319] Today, the city is served by one major daily newspaper: The Arizona Republic, which along with its online entity, azcentral.com, serves the greater metropolitan area.[320][321] The Jewish News of Greater Phoenix is an independent weekly newspaper established in 1948. In addition, the city is also served by numerous free neighborhood papers and alternative weeklies such as the Phoenix New Times' the East Valley Tribune, which primarily serves the cities of the East Valley; and Arizona State University's The State Press.[322]
The radio airwaves in Phoenix cater to a wide variety of musical and talk radio interests. Stations include classic rock formats of KOOL-FM and KSLX-FM, to pop stations like KYOT and alternative stations like KDKB-FM, to the talk radio of KFYI-AM and KKNT-AM, the pop and top 40 programming of KZZP-FM and KALV-FM, and the country sounds of KMLE-FM. With its large Hispanic population there are numerous Spanish stations, such as KHOT-FM and KOMR-FM.[327]
An aerial view of the control tower at Phoenix Sky Harbor that began operations on January 17, 2007
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX), one of the ten busiest airports in the United States, serves over 110,000 people on over 1,000 flights per day.[328] Centrally located in the metro area near several major freeway interchanges east of downtown Phoenix, the airport serves more than 100 cities with non-stop flights.[329]
The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IATA: AZA, ICAO: KIWA) in neighboring Mesa also serves the area's commercial air traffic. It was converted from Williams Air Force Base, which closed in 1993. The airport has recently received substantial commercial service with Allegiant Air opening a hub operation at the airport with non-stop service to over a dozen destinations.[333][334]
Amtrak served Phoenix Union Station until 1996 when the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) proposed abandoning the route between Yuma, Arizona, and Phoenix.[335] Amtrak rerouted trains to Maricopa, 30 miles (48 km) south of downtown Phoenix, where passengers can board the Texas Eagle (Los Angeles-San Antonio-Chicago) and Sunset Limited (Los Angeles-New Orleans).[336][337] UP retained the trackage and the station remains. In 2021, Amtrak developed a plan to bring rail service back to Phoenix with connections to Tucson and Los Angeles.[338] This service is supported by the Bipartisan infrastructure bill and could take several years for service to be implemented.
Amtrak Thruway buses connect Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Flagstaff for connection with the Los Angeles-Chicago Southwest Chief.[339] Phoenix is also served by Greyhound bus service, which stops at 24th Street near the airport.[340]
Valley Metro Rail station – 2009
Valley Metro provides public transportation throughout the metropolitan area, with its trains, buses, and a ride-share program. 3.38% of workers commute by public transit. Valley Metro's 38.5-mile (62.0 km) light rail system called Valley Metro Rail consists of the A Line and B Line. Two light rail extensions of more than 10.8 miles (17.4 km) are planned to open by 2030. The first segment of the light rail open in December 27, 2008.[341]
Phoenix auto traffic depends on both freeways and surface streets. Freeways fall under the auspices of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Phoenix ranks first in the nation in the quality of its urban freeways, and the state as a whole ranks first in the nation in the quality of bridges.[342] While being the fifth most populous city in the nation, Phoenix's freeways do not suffer from the same type of congestion seen in other large cities. In fact, in a recent study, there is not a single stretch of freeway in Phoenix ranked in the 100 worst freeways for either congestion or unreliability.[343]
The Stack (Interstates 10 and 17) interchange at night in 2012
Part of the reason for this is the extensive freeway system in the city, due to most of that system being funded by local, rather than federal funds, through a half-cent general sales tax measure approved by voters in 1985.[344] Another offshoot of this local funding is that Phoenix is the largest city in the United States to have at least two Interstate Highways, but no three-digit interstates.[345]
As of 2005, the metropolitan area of Phoenix contains one of the nation's largest and fastest growing freeway systems, consisting of over 1,405 lane miles (2,261 lane km).[346] The freeway system is a mix of Interstate, U.S., and state highways which include Interstate 10, Interstate 17, US 60, Loop 101, Loop 202, SR 51, SR 143, and Loop 303. There are still major additions to routes 101, 202 and 303 underway, as well as several other smaller projects around the valley.[347] State Routes 87, 85, and 74 connect Phoenix with other areas of the Valley and Arizona.[348]
The street system in Phoenix (and some of its suburbs) is laid out in a grid system, with most roads oriented either north–south or east–west, and the zero point of the grid being the intersection of Central Avenue and Washington Street.[348] The one notable exception to this is the diagonal Grand Avenue, which runs northwest–southeast. The original plan was for the east–west streets to be named after U.S. Presidents, with the north–south streets named after Native Americans; but the north–south streets were quickly changed to numbers, with numbered Avenues running to the west of Central, and numbered Streets to its east.[24] Major arterial streets are spaced one mile (1.6 km) apart, divided into smaller blocks approximately every 1⁄8 mile (200 m). For example, Scottsdale Road, being the 7200 block east, lies nine miles (14 km) to the east of Central Avenue (72 / 8).[348]
Being in the desert, Phoenix relies on a water supply delivered to the city via a system of canals which divert water from the region's rivers and lakes, with the largest portion of the city's water coming from the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project's canal.[350] The city's electrical needs are served primarily by Arizona Public Service, although some customers receive their electricity from the Salt River Project (SRP). The main sources of electrical generation are nuclear and coal power plants. Arizona is home to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, the largest nuclear-generating facility in the United States. SRP is also the largest water provider in Phoenix.[351]
In 2011 (the last year for which information is available), Phoenix had a slightly younger population than the country as a whole. While the United States had 13.3% of its population over the age of 65, Phoenix's percentage stood significantly lower, at 8.1%. Phoenix's percentage of 18.8% in the next age group, 45–64 was also a great deal lower than the national average of 26.6%. This results in 73% of Phoenix's population being 44 or younger, as compared to the national percentage of 60.[352]
In 2010 (the last year for nationally reported figures), Phoenix was at or below national levels for most reportable diseases, with the exception of both hepatitis A and B, where they were slightly over the national average (0.8 and 1.8 to 0.5 and 1.1%, respectively).[353]
Maricopa Medical Center
In most major categories, Phoenix had a lower incidence of death than the rest of the nation. Only deaths due to Alzheimer's (29.7 to 27.2 deaths per 100,000) and pre-natal conditions (5.3 to 3.8 deaths per 100,000) were slightly above the national average. Deaths due to HIV and liver disease were exactly at the national average of 2.5 and 10.8 respectively. However, in several major categories, Phoenix had significantly lower indices of death: deaths by cancer stood at only 57% (106) of the national average of 184.6 deaths per 100,000; deaths due to heart disease, 56.1% of the national rate of 249.8 per 100,000.[354] Cancer and heart disease were the two top causes of death in the country.[355]
Low-weight births (7.5%) were below the national average of 8.1%, yet infant mortality (7.2‰ [per thousand]) was higher than the rest of the U.S. (6.1‰). Births to teen mothers were significantly higher than the rest of the country, sitting at 12.2% as compared to 8.4% nationally.[352]
The Phoenix metropolitan area is serviced by 56 hospitals and medical centers.[356] The Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group based in Rochester, Minnesota. Phoenix is one of two other locations with Mayo Clinic campuses (the other being Jacksonville, Florida).[357] It is the first and largest integrated not-for-profit medical group practice in the world; Mayo Clinic has been near or at the top of the U.S. News & World Report List of "Best Hospitals" for more than 20 years.[358]
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is part of Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West), one of the largest healthcare systems in the western United States. St. Joseph's is a not-for-profit hospital with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital is a general medical and surgical hospital, which performed nearly at the level of nationally ranked U.S. News Best Hospitals in four adult specialties.[359] The Phoenix Children's Hospital is nationally ranked in five pediatric specialties according to U.S. News & World Report. It is a 425-bed children's teaching hospital.[360]Arizona Heart Institute, opened in 1971, is known internationally as one of the first freestanding outpatient clinics dedicated exclusively to cardiovascular health.[361]
Banner Health is a non-profit health system in the United States, based in Phoenix. It operates 23 hospitals as well as specialized facilities. The health system is the largest employer in Arizona, employing more than 43,440.[362] Banner Health was created in 1999 through a merger of Lutheran Health Systems, based in North Dakota, and Samaritan Health System, based in Phoenix. Of the top ten rated hospitals in the city (top 12 in the state), four are Banner hospitals.[363]
Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is the world's largest dedicated neurosurgical center and a leader in neurosurgical training, research, and patient care.[364]
Valleywise Health is a public hospital and healthcare system based in Phoenix with Community Heath Centers located throughout Maricopa County, Arizona. Valleywise Health includes the Valleywise Health Medical Center, the renowned Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center,[365] the Comprehensive Health Center, three Behavioral Health Centers and a network of Community Health Centers located throughout Maricopa County.[366] Valleywise Health is the areas largest public teaching hospital and is a founding partner in the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance.[367][368] In 2024, Valleywise Health opened its new 10-story 240 bed Valleywise Medical Center on its Roosevelt Campus near downtown Phoenix.[369][370][371]
With the creation of the Phoenix Sister Cities (PSC) organization in 1972, Phoenix became a member of the international Sister City movement. They filed for Articles of Incorporation in 1975, and entered into their first Sister City agreement in 1976 with Hermosillo, Mexico.[372] The organization's mission statement states their purpose is to "foster relationships between the people of Phoenix and our Sister Cities around the world to promote friendship, peace and prosperity."[373]
Phoenix has twelve sister cities.[374] Phoenix and Prague have shared a Capital Cities relationship since May 1991, which was expanded to Sister City Status in 2013.[375]
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