Mesa Police Chief Recommends New Northeast Patrol Station

By Jimmy Jenkins
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 10:00pm
Updated: Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 10:02pm

In a study session at the Mesa City Council, Chief Ramon Batista discussed developing new options for patrolling vast jurisdictions in the growing city.

Batista said the city’s growing population is becoming a challenge to patrol. The chief told the council he would need 72 additional officers over the next five years to keep up the current ratio of 1.5 officers for every 1,000 residents.

Batista said increased calls for service are especially difficult in the Superstition patrol district, which stretches 71 square miles from Germann Road all the way to the Tonto National Forest.

“There is no doubt that we need to have another patrol station that will cut Superstition in half," Batista told the council. "It will give us the opportunity to do some realignment with some of the boundaries.”

Mesa Police Department currently splits operations into four districts but Batista said the department needs to find a better balance for patrol officers.

The chief told the council a new northeast station would help address the geographic challenges his department faces.

A spokesman said the City Council is considering the proposal from the chief and has asked for more details to be presented at a later date

mesa police map
(Map courtesy of Mesa Police Department)