Councilman Greg Stanton's
Neighborhood News Council Corner Column
November 2006 Retired Community Action Officer was a Phoenix Pioneer
Our Police Department Community Action Officers (CAOs) play an important role in providing Phoenix residents a great quality of life. CAOs help form neighborhood Block Watch and Fight Back groups; perform security evaluations at homes and businesses; give community presentations on crime prevention; teach safety to kids in schools; resolve neighborhood problems by bringing in city agencies to help; and help solve crimes by providing patrol officers and detectives valuable tips.
Officer Barney Barnhart was the first community action officer in the city more than 17 years ago, spending 14 of those years in the Ahwatukee Foothills. He recently retired after more than 37 years on the force.
Our thanks go to Officer Barnhart for his tremendous accomplishments. He actually coined the title "Community Action Officer," which has since been adopted by other law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Officer Barnhart also trained more than 20 fellow Community Action Officers; conducted more than 200 Block Watch presentations; and received a commendation last year from the Police Department for "consistently superior performance."
As a member of the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee and the representative of Ahwatukee Foothills, I am proud to have worked with Officer Barnhart, and I continue to support our strong community policing program.
Congratulations to Officer Barnhart on nearly four decades of incredible service to Phoenix residents. We will miss him and use his success as a role model for generations of community action officers to follow. Councilman Greg Stanton represents District 6, which includes north central Phoenix, Ahwatukee Foothills, Arcadia and the Biltmore area. To reach his office, e-mail greg.stanton@phoenix.gov or call 602-262-7491.
