Our Strategic Plan reflects the Mesa Police Department's long-term vision and provides the framework that guides our decisions, priorities, and daily work. Through our five Strategic Priorities, we remain focused on strengthening public safety, supporting our employees, and delivering exceptional service to the City of Mesa.
Each year, we identify Strategic Initiatives that move us closer to achieving that vision. These initiatives represent the work we believe will have the greatest impact and help ensure we continue to evolve as an organization while meeting the changing needs of our community.
As you explore this page, you'll find our five Strategic Priorities and the Year Four Strategic Initiatives that support them. Together, they reflect the work we're doing to strengthen our organization, enhance public safety, and better serve the Mesa community.
Chief Dan Butler
Initiative: Crime Reduction Initiative Project Lead: Commander James McCormick
This year-long initiative expands the department’s existing crime-reduction efforts by concentrating additional resources, intelligence, and coordinated enforcement on repeat violent offenders, individuals with active warrants, and locations experiencing the highest levels of crime. Working closely with prosecutors and local businesses, the department will pursue measurable reductions in violent crime, repeat offenses, and calls for service to create safer neighborhoods and business areas.
Initiative: Fatal and Serious Injury Collision Reduction Project Lead: Commander Jason Troth
This initiative expands the department’s existing traffic-safety efforts by using real-time and historical vehicle data, along with calls for service, to identify roadways with the greatest risk of speeding and serious collisions. This information allows officers to be deployed more strategically to address dangerous driving, prevent collisions, and reduce traffic-related deaths and serious injuries.
Initiative: Real-Time Intelligence & Operations Platform Implementation Project Lead: Manager Wayne Kwong
This initiative will enhance the department’s existing technology by bringing information from dispatch, police records, and other public safety sources together in one real-time platform. Giving personnel faster access to relevant information will strengthen investigations, improve situational awareness and decision-making, reduce time spent gathering data manually, and support more effective police services throughout the department.
Initiative: Employee Services Portal Project Lead: Manager Wayne Kwong
This initiative will create a modern, web-based portal for managing employee assignments, contact details, schedules, and other personnel records in one centralized location. The new platform will simplify routine updates, improve accuracy and accessibility, and provide a foundation for future tools and enhancements.
Initiative: The Prosecutorial Readiness Initiative Project Lead: Commander Carlos Santana
The Prosecutorial Readiness Initiative (PRI) is a data‑driven effort to analyze criminal case turndowns from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, identify recurring issues, and translate those findings into focused training and policy improvements for officers and detectives. By systematically reviewing declination patterns and centralizing the data in a dedicated software platform, the initiative aims to improve case quality, strengthen collaboration with prosecutors, and reduce preventable turndowns across the department.
Initiative: Staffing Plan for Mesa Gateway Project Lead: Commander Kurt Scanio
This initiative outlines a five‑year expansion plan for police personnel assigned to the Superstition Patrol Division to include Mesa Gateway Airport (MGA), that focuses on increasing sworn staffing to ensure adequate coverage and adding an airport bomb‑detection K9 capability. The effort aims to strengthen safety, security, and operational readiness as the southeast portion of the city continues to rapidly expand.
Initiative: Mesa Police Facilities Masterplan Project Lead: Manager Wayne Kwong
This initiative will create a 15 to 20 year plan to evaluate current police facilities, anticipate the needs of a growing city, and guide future improvements. The plan will help prioritize investments, modernize essential facilities, and ensure the department is prepared to support Mesa’s public safety needs for years to come.
Initiative: Public Records Request Efficiency Project Lead: Manager Liz Wiltrout
This initiative will improve the speed and accuracy of public records services by introducing modern technology and more efficient processes. These improvements will reduce processing times while continuing to protect sensitive information and meet all legal requirements.
Initiative: Organizational Resilience & Employee Development Framework Project Lead: Commander Brandon Lavin
This integrated wellness and professional development initiative establishes a department‑wide framework to strengthen workforce resilience, retention, and long‑term readiness by combining structured wellness check‑ins, early‑intervention practices, and proactive career development. Together, they ensure employees are mentally, physically, and professionally prepared to perform at a high level, supporting sustained organizational effectiveness and a healthier, more engaged workforce.
Initiative: The Attributes Project Lead: Commander Jason Reno
Identify recruits most likely to succeed as peace officers and provide targeted training to help others reach that potential by assessing each recruit’s core attributes, innate traits, and ability to manage stress, challenges, and uncertainty to enhance both performance and resilience.
Initiative: Community Sentiment Measurement Methodology Assessment Project Lead: Manager Tara Hall
Research, evaluate, and pilot community sentiment measurement methodologies to identify a practical and sustainable framework for measuring public trust, community perception, and engagement effectiveness across community engagement initiatives, events, programs, and overall outreach.