Kate Gallego and Matt Evans explain how they would tackle crime as mayors of Phoenix

Phoenix mayoral candidates talked about how they would address crime if elected to office. Violent crime in Phoenix has decreased year over year since 2021. (File photo by Emma Peterson/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

PHOENIX – According to statistics, violent crime in Phoenix is not increasing dramatically, but has actually declined over a period of several years, with some monthly dips and jumps.

The national trends are somewhat similar; FBI data released in June showed that reported violent crimes nationwide fell 15.2% from January to March compared to the same period in 2023.

When Mayor Kate Gallego took office in March 2019, violent crimes in Phoenix were totaling 800 a month, according to the Real-Time Crime Index, a website backed by Arnold Ventures and AH Datalytics that tracks reported crimes in hundreds of cities.

This number reached a monthly total of 986 in October 2020, but has since fallen to 846 in August. The total number of violent crimes hasn't fluctuated as much since 2018, although there was an increase in the summer of 2020. According to crime experts, key trends and events in the national context can influence crime.

“We certainly have these serious impacts from time to time, like the COVID pandemic,” said Michael Scott, a clinical professor of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University and director of its Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.

After the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States in early 2020, violent crime increased in Phoenix through July 2021.

In a statement from her campaign, Gallego defended her investments in improving public safety. She said violent crime has declined in Phoenix and pointed to the opening of a real-time crime operations center.

She also said she and the City Council have implemented emergency measures that don't “always mean an armed police officer,” including expanding the Community Assistance Program, which responds to situations where someone is not committing a crime.

“We must do more and more to ensure Phoenix is a safe home, and while our focus on data-driven public safety is having an impact, we must continue. “I remain committed to the work ahead,” Gallego’s statement said.

Despite investments in public safety programs, a Department of Justice investigation of the Phoenix Police Department released in June found that civil rights violations by the department were a “pattern.”

Recent Phoenix police scandals included a video in which officers burned a man on hot pavement in July and Tasered and punched Tyron McAlpin, a deaf black man with cerebral palsy, in August, and McAlpin was subsequently charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest arrested. The charges were later dropped.

Gallego's opponent Matt Evans blamed Gallego for the DOJ investigation.

He said it was “due to actions that took place under Kate's leadership” and that she “has been on the city council for 10 years – this didn't just happen overnight.”

Gallego was elected to the Phoenix City Council in 2017 and became mayor in 2019.

Evans also said that under Gallego, “crime and homelessness have spiraled out of control because of policies that prioritize optics over effective solutions.”

Homelessness in Maricopa County has increased since Gallego took office. However, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments, the county's Point-in-Time Homeless Count numbers fell from 9,642 people to 9,435 between 2023 and 2024.

Evans criticized what he called “superficial efforts” like cold water programs, and he also said Gallego insists that housing solves the problem of homelessness while “neglecting essential strategies like data-driven approaches, rehabilitation, mental health treatment and addiction services.”

Evans also said their “mismanagement” of the former location where some homeless people once lived, called “The Zone,” shows that Gallego “doesn't understand what it takes to make Phoenix safe.”

The city of Phoenix turned homeless people away from the area after a court-ordered deadline to vacate the site. The city said many of those people were placed in shelters or received other services.

Evans said he would bring a “fundamentally different approach” to office that would emphasize “data and transparency as the foundation of our public safety actions.” He advocated for “strong police,” committed resources to “mental health and rehabilitation resources,” and used data to “allocate resources directly to high-crime areas.”

“This November it’s not Kate Gallego vs. Matt Evans; “It’s Kate Gallego versus the people of Phoenix,” Evans said.

Big cities can use certain strategies to curb crime, said ASU Professor Scott, who added that most people don't commit violent crimes and that cities identify the small number of people who do and “disrupt their pattern of violent crime.” would have to.

“The best thing most cities can do is learn about and then adopt, design and place management practices that reduce the opportunity for crime,” Scott said.

If Gallego wins Tuesday's mayoral election, it would be her third mayoral victory. If Evans wins, it would be a surprise victory. The Arizona Republic recently reported that the Gallego campaign has $1.4 million, while the Evans campaign is in the red.