A Day With Scott Finical
Reserve Division Assistant Police Chief, City of Phoenix
5:30 A.M. >> QUALITY TIME WITH MAN’S BEST FRIEND
I am up early with our 11-month-old puppy, Wyatt. He’s a smart little guy and a wonderful companion. I walk with him, drink a cup of coffee and begin reviewing my emails and taking care of the necessary police department or Police Reserve Foundation business in my inbox.
8 A.M. >> UPHOLDING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS
OF SERVICE
I oversee the Reserve Division, a group of 115 volunteer men and women who are full-authority, state-certified police officers working for the Phoenix Police Department. Last year, reserve officers volunteered 39,000 hours, equating to $3.14 million donated to the City of Phoenix. Many of them have career day jobs — doctors, lawyers, firefighters, professors, teachers and real estate brokers. In addition to their professional jobs, they serve as volunteer police officers with the same hiring and performance standards as career police officers. I am responsible for ensuring all reserve officers comply with necessary division and departmental requirements, training and deployment expectations.
Most people don’t realize Phoenix and a few other cities in Arizona have volunteers who work as full-authority police officers. Our reserve officers wear the same uniform as career police officers, drive the same cars and respond to the same calls for service. Often when a reserve officer comes to the home of a crime victim, members of the public have no idea the officer is a volunteer. Our men and women throughout the police department represent a multitude of specialties. In addition to reserve officers who work in patrol by themselves responding to calls, there are helicopter pilots, detectives, and motorcycle, school resource and transit officers.
11:30 A.M. >> ON THE LOOKOUT FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD
I’m heavily involved with the Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation in addition to my work with the police department. The foundation was created in 2007 after city budget challenges resulted in a shortage of marked patrol vehicles for our volunteer reserve officers. The chief of police at the time asked me to think of creative solutions to solve the equipment problem. Since I was in private legal practice at the time, one of my thoughts was to create a 501(c)(3) foundation that would specifically fundraise for equipment used by reserve police officers.
The foundation is moved by these individuals who make this extraordinary commitment. It remains laser-focused on providing support for these volunteers because they are different, and perhaps a little more special, than your career police officer who receives a paycheck for doing the same job.
1 P.M. >> A TRUSTED VOLUNTEER LEADER
Since the foundation does not have staff, one of my primary roles is to serve as the liaison between the police department and the 10-member board of directors. The board frequently wants reports about how the police department is doing, how the department overall is recruiting, as well as how we’re recruiting for reserves. They also look to me and members of my command staff for suggestions as to how the foundation can best serve our reserve officers. This specific police-related and police department input supports the board in making meaningful, informed and valuable decisions.
I also meet with potential donors interested in learning more about the police department, our reserve officers and the foundation, and work with companies donating equipment. I’m involved in the day-to-day operations of selecting vehicles donated by the foundation and ensuring they are built to specifications.
2:15 P.M. >> UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTAL DUTY TO SERVE
The foundation hosts two fundraisers annually — days at the police academy and a day at the police driving track. The driving track is a competitive, corporate team-building experience where participants receive instruction from
police instructors on evasive and pursuit driving techniques and backing exercises. Driving teams then go out on
timed courses.
Days at the police academy give people a chance to shoot firearms or tasers and receive training in shoot/don’t-shoot scenarios. Providing this opportunity to members of the public has been incredible. These experiences are unique for our foundation because they offer our board members a chance to learn more about the demands of being a police officer. And we have received scores of compliments from guests and donors who attend these dynamic events, explaining they had no idea how extensive the training or demanding decision-making can be, day in and day out.
4 P.M. >> A BADGE + BRIEFCASE SPANNING A CAREER
Law enforcement has always been my passion. After graduating from law school, I came to Phoenix looking for something in addition to the demanding practice of law. That’s when I joined the Phoenix Police Department after previously spending five years with the Tucson Police Department while in college. I have volunteered as a reserve officer while working nearly 38 years with a large, prestigious law firm practicing medical malpractice defense. In the years on patrol, I volunteered from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. after working at the law practice from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. All my service throughout my career, with both the Phoenix and Tucson Police Departments, has been done as a volunteer. The Phoenix Police Department has a rank structure — sergeants, lieutenants and commanders — who are reserves.
After I leave the police department, I will have fond memories about how successful this foundation has been and how much its support meant to those who serve our community as volunteer police officers.
7 P.M. >> TO GIVE IS TO RECEIVE
When I come home at night, my wife wants to know what happened at the police department, and over the years, there have been some interesting stories. I had a wonderful career as a lawyer, but my law practice was not nearly as rewarding as my police work. It brought me a new appreciation for how fortunate we are to live in this country and state.
Sometimes in police work, you see sad and unfortunate scenarios. It’s made me appreciate my education, growing up in a good home and having the values of caring for others and giving back to our community. I’m sure all my officers would say we end up receiving more than we ever give.
To learn more, go to phoenixpolicereserve.org/reserve-foundation.html.
