Queen Creek votes to form police department
by David Baker | 3TV/CBS 5
Queen Creek will soon be home to the state’s new police department.
The Queen Creek Town Council voted to establish a municipal police department at Wednesday’s meeting. Right now, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is the Town’s only law enforcement provider. But the Town said MCSO hadn’t been able to provide some services it wanted, like community policing initiatives. Officials said a police department will mean “authority over the day-to-day operations, developing a more proactive policing philosophy, increased community engagement, more direct communication to Town Council and management, and control over staffing.”
A study presented to the Town Council in December found MCSO was struggling to fill positions for patrol deputies. Queen Creek asked for input and said more than 87% were in favor of forming a police department.
