GOODYEAR, AZ — Goodyear city leaders want to make sure they are on top of any potential crime that comes with a growing city.
Now, a new police chief is looking to tackle that challenge head-on.
Brian Issitt is the new chief of police at Goodyear Police Department. With over 20 years of experience with neighboring Phoenix Police, Issitt started from the bottom.
“I was a patrol officer, I was a school resource officer, I was on our special assignments unit at Phoenix, SWAT Team 4,” said Issitt.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Issitt is from Michigan, full of love for football and baseball, even getting drafted by the Houston Astros in high school. He still has the telegram he got framed in his office.
“That was exciting, you know. It’s always cool to get the telegram and have the principal read the telegram that the Astros sent,” said Issitt.
After college, though, Issitt decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a police officer.
Now, he faces new challenges as Goodyear’s newly-minted police chief, especially when it comes to the city’s growth.
“Putting together a strategic plan for our police department, looking at what our goals are for the first year, for three years in, for five years in. And of course, that’ll be a living document as we continue to grow,” said Issitt.
Crime rates in the city have been relatively steady over the last five years. Numbers put out by the Arizona Department of Public Safety show there are fewer than 3,000 crimes committed each year, most of them simple assaults, theft cases and other minor offenses.
Residents ABC15 spoke with have been more concerned about traffic and street racing.
“As you know, as the city grows, we’re going to want to increase the size of that traffic unit to meet and manage those needs that our community has to keep everybody safe,” said Issitt.
Issitt says the department has gone through a lot of leadership changes in the last eight months. The biggest thing he wants to bring right now is some stability.
“This isn’t my police department, this isn’t the Goodyear police department, it’s our department. It’s a team effort,” said Issitt.
