Public Safety

Residents provided additional guidance to help craft public safety goals, policies and actions in February 2025. Recordings of the meetings, meeting notes and the first draft of the working goals, policies and actions are linked to the right. The drafts will continue to be revised and updated online.

The OV's Path Forward Background Report, available HERE, provides key trends and conditions that should be considered when planning for OV's future.

• Theft is changing. Stolen packages increased significantly as more people shop online.
• Fentanyl appears to be affecting more people every day, which leads to overdoses and associated crimes like theft, burglary and assaults.
• On average, OV’s Police Department meets all of its response time goals. Maintaining a well-trained police force is critical to staying one of the safest cities in AZ.
• Ongoing training in dealing with mental health crisis is important for officer and public safety.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) will increasingly be used for online scams and fraud. Community awareness and workplace training will continue to be important to avoid online scams.
• Call volume for fire and emergency services is projected to increase roughly 15% in the next three years. Strategies to adapt to increasing calls is necessary.

• Oro Valley has unique desert hydrologic conditions such as flash floods and sediment transport. Keeping a proactive approach to prepare for potential flooding events must be maintained. Awareness, education and maintenance of drainage facilities, both public and privately owned is necessary to avoid potential disasters.

During Phase 1 (October 2023 - October 2024), residents shared their ideas, priorities and expectations for OV's future through the BIG Community Survey, 93 events, and online discussions. The phone survey method is statistically projectable to all OV adults. This means 50% represents 20,593 residents.

The percentages represent responses to various question types. Higher percentages relate to questions where residents rated specific options. Low percentages relate to open-ended questions that allowed a wide variety of responses.

A summary of resident responses is available HERE with key points shown below:

The draft guiding principles are based on the community guidance provided during Phase 1. Underlined words were derived directly from resident responses.

Uphold community safety as the top priority:

• Maintain a low crime rate
• Support and promote school safety
• Improve traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety, especially at major intersections
• Maintain a highly visible, community engaged, and fully staffed police force with quick response times
• Develop and promote crime prevention programs
• Prepare for natural disasters