QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — The newest police department in the East Valley is finally open for business.
Men and women dressed in blue worked the very first shift under the Queen Creek Police Department midnight Tuesday.
The rapidly growing town's council approved the new department in March 2020 and it's well underway.
The new department is already an outlier in the Valley with a near fully staffed operation. Some law agencies in the area are struggling with staffing and recruitment.
The department consists of 64 sworn officers, including nine sergeants and three lieutenants. Roughly 75% of the workforce are from other in-state agencies and 25% are out of state.
"When we put up a recruitment it was very specifically stated this is the type of officer we're looking for, this is the type of tone we're looking for and that made the biggest difference in who we brought in," said Queen Creek Chief Randy Brice.
"It's really exciting to see how everybody's coming together."
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