Proudly Serving Phoenix since 1881

Lawless became so bad that a mass meeting was held in Phoenix on April 3, 1872, to “devise the best means of safety from lawless Sonorans and others.” A volunteer company of men was appointed on a safety committee “to inquire into the character of strangers and to notify the evil disposed to leave.” On April 10, 1874, the president issued a patent for the present site of Phoenix.

Phoenix was incorporated as a city on February 5, 1881. Law enforcement was handled by Phoenix city marshals and later by Phoenix police officers. Henry Garfias, the first city marshal, was elected by residents in 1881 in the first elections of the newly incorporated city. For six years, he served as the primary law enforcement officer.

In the early 1900s, the Phoenix Police Department used Old Nelly, the horse, to pull the patrol wagon for officers. Most patrolling, however, was done on foot. The city at this time was only 3.1 square miles with a population of 11,134 people. Call boxes were used to notify an officer that headquarters wanted him. These were supplemented by a system of horns and flashing lights.

In 1929, patrolmen worked six days a week and were paid $100 a month. The police department moved into the west section of the new city-county building at 17 South 2nd Avenue. The building included jail cells on the top two floors. Our museum is located in what was the Phoenix Police Department from 1928 until 1974.

Before this time period, the department was located at 100 East Washington. The officers were housed in the basement of the building which would later be condemned as it was unsafe. We recreated the front desk area based on old photographs with photo display of the small department in 1913. Just before this, the town had changed to a city form of government. We went from looking like cowboys to actual uniformed officers with dress jackets, badges and hats. The first police chief, A.J. Moore started with four officers and ended up with 15. Learn firsthand about the beginnings on law enforcement in Phoenix and the basic tools of the trade that officers used walking a beat.

The first death of a Phoenix police officer in the line of duty in Phoenix occurred on February 5, 1925. Officer Haze Burch was shot and killed by two brothers on the run from authorities. The men were later arrested when they were found hiding at the Tempe Buttes.

In 1933, Ruth Meicher joined the police department as the first female jail matron. The city at this time was only 6.4 square miles , with a population of 48,200. In the year prior, the first police radio system in Arizona was installed for the department with the call letters KGZJ.

The department reorganized in 1950 with four divisions, Traffic, Detectives, Patrol and Service Divisions. Officers worked 44 hours per week for $288 per month. In 1974, the Air patrol unit was established initially consisting of one helicopter. A few months later, a fixed wing aircraft and two additional helicopters were added.

 Our Association In the beginning

In 1975, under the guidelines set forth in the City of Phoenix’s Meet and Confer Ordinance, a core group of Phoenix police officers established the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, PLEA. After an election process, PLEA became the certified bargaining unit for Phoenix police officers and sergeants.

The original Board of Directors consisted of 11 members, who were elected to one-year terms, with the vice president presiding over the Board. On January 10, 1976, at 9 a.m., in a meeting held at First Federal Savings and Loan, located at 2002 E. Camelback Road, the following persons were elected to the Board of Directors:

• Gordon “Gordy” Lange
• Pat Pezzelle
• Frank Startzell
• Roger Ketelaar
• Steve Weiland
• James McKay
• Joe Petrosino
• Irwin “Ernie” Bakin
• Jerry Licata
• Tony Macarle
• Richard Kerge

In Article III of the original incorporation documents, the general nature of the business to be transacted and the object and purposes for which the newly formed corporation was responsible included:

To promote better relations, working conditions, benefits and wages of Patrolmen and Sergeants working for the City of Phoenix Police Department.

In the same articles of incorporation, Michael Napier was appointed as PLEA’s lawful agent and has stood with us as our chief legal counsel.

Gordy Lange served as PLEA’s first president. As PLEA evolved, sergeants eventually left and formed a separate bargaining unit, Management and Police Employees (MAPE), which evolved into what is currently the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association (PPSLA). While PPSLA negotiates their wages and benefits and covers their legal defense, there are a number of sergeants who have opted to remain associate members of PLEA for other benefits.

Mike Petchel served as PLEA’s president from 1985 until 1997, when Terry Sills was elected president. Terry served as president through 1999, when Ron Snodgrass, a longtime PLEA trustee, was elected. Ron held the position for almost a year and was briefly succeeded by Levi Bolton, who was vice president at the time. Levi declared the position vacant and Roy C. “Jake” Jacobsen, another PLEA trustee, was appointed to the position of president by the Board of Trustees and served out the remainder of the term. In 2001, Jake was subsequently elected president and went on to serve until 2007. During this time period, PLEA moved out of a leased office located at 5033 N. 19th Ave. and into our current location at 1102 W. Adams St. Unlike the previous office, this building and surrounding property are owned by PLEA, showing a long-term commitment to the membership. As part of this transition, PLEA adopted a new logo, which represents a reflection of the past and the promise of a progressive future.

Mark Spencer was elected president in 2007 and served until 2011, when he was succeeded by Joe Clure. Joe served in that capacity until 2015, when Ken Crane was elected as PLEA president. In December 2018, Ken retired, and PLEA Vice President Michael “Britt” London assumed the presidency. Britt was elected by the membership in 2019.  During his tenure, he was successful in moving PLEA in a direction that was much needed, with increased communication and member outreach. Britt served as president until he retired in April 2022.

At their April 2022 meeting, PLEA’s Board of Trustees voted on a motion by Vice President Yvette Bro to appoint PLEA Treasurer Darrell Kriplean to complete Britt’s vacated office. Unanimously, Darrell was appointed. Darrell worked as a patrol officer in the Maryvale Precinct and was appointed to the Board of Trustees in April 2016. In June of that same year, he was appointed to the recently vacated PLEA treasurer position. Darrell was successful in negotiating the 2019 and 2021 MOU contracts, where increases in pay and benefits were received. These were the first increases in almost a decade of pay cuts and furloughs. As president, Darrell is committed to continuing to be a positive representative of the membership and will tirelessly advocate for pay and benefit increases. He will continue to foster partnerships within city government and the community to promote the positive role our police officers and detectives play within the community.

Throughout the years, PLEA’s primary mission has been to promote the positive role of the police profession and to protect and secure members’ rights and benefits through effective representation and professional relationships with the community and local, state and national governments. We have represented police officers in over 10,000 individual administrative investigations and have informally resolved a relatively equal number of cases.

In addition to belonging to the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) and the Arizona Police Association (APA), over the years, PLEA has assisted in the formation of many of the Phoenix metropolitan area’s police associations, as well as the Tucson Police Officers’ Association.

Since PLEA’s beginnings, representatives and Board members have been asked and/or selected to participate in a variety of community and departmental committees, including:

Community

Tuition Assistance for Police Survivors (TAPS)
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS)
Phoenix Law Enforcement Association Charities

Departmental

Uniform
Vehicle
Records Management System
Jail
Firearms
Labor-Management
Honors Board
Police Museum Board

City of Phoenix

Local Pension Board
Healthcare Task Force
Deferred Compensation Board
Public Safety Advisory Committee
Block Watch Advisory Board

State of Arizona

Industrial Commission
Public Safety Retirement System

PLEA maintains its own 501(c)(3) arm, PLEA Charities, which provides charitable, financial and educational assistance to law enforcement officers and their families. PLEA Charities also provides compassionate contributions to community groups and organizations supportive of public safety. In addition, PLEA Charities promotes the positive image of law enforcement officers and seeks to enhance the quality of life in our communities. Since its inception in 2007, PLEA Charities has disbursed approximately $3.3 million to various recipients. Programs organized or supported by PLEA Charities include Back the Blue Officer Support, Shop With a Cop, the Fallen Officer Memorial Golf Classic, the Police Officers’ Charity Gala, the Phoenix Police Cadet Scholarship Program and Back to School Drive.

While the names and faces have changed over the past 49 years, the common philosophy that all of PLEA’s representatives and trustees have subscribed to has been that it is about taking care of the members.  We will continue to provide our members with the best representation possible by staying on the cutting edge of current trends.

-Protecting and serving Phoenix officers since 1975

Past PLEA President Roy C. “Jake” Jacobsen and NAILEM co-founder Donna Neill