Phoenix Police Formally Close 620 West Washington Headquarters After More Than 50 Years
Phoenix is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona. City leaders, staff, and current and former officers gathered to formally close the Phoenix Police Department's longtime headquarters at 620 West Washington Street, according to a City of Phoenix newsroom release.
The building originally opened in 1975 under the leadership of Police Chief Lawrence Wetzel, the first in a line of chiefs who would shape the department from within its walls. Over the decades that followed, 11 additional police chiefs — including acting and interim leaders — worked from the building, guiding Phoenix policing through periods of rapid growth, shifting demands and significant change.
During its half century of operation, the headquarters housed the Chief's Staff, investigative bureaus, ballistics and crime labs, interrogation rooms and other units central to daily police work. Generations of officers came through its doors, starting their careers, solving cases and carrying out the work of public safety in one of the nation's fastest growing cities.
"620 was more than a headquarters — it was a cornerstone of our work and our identity. I first walked into this building as an applicant, hoping for the chance to serve like hundreds of others. Now, as we move forward we all carry the foundation this building gave us, its history, its lessons and its spirit," Police Chief Matthew Giordano said.
During the decommissioning ceremony, city leaders presented the Phoenix Police Museum with the building's original "Phoenix Police Headquarters" sign, which had adorned the front of the building for decades. As a final tribute, Phoenix Police Reserve Commander Henry Cusson placed a chain and lock on the front door. Cusson is the longest-standing peace officer in the state of Arizona and was serving as an officer when 620 first became headquarters in 1975.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Phoenix警察局旧总部大楼正门，位于 620 West Washington Street，门楣上为「POLICE HEADQUARTERS」字样。照片：Tony Webster，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。Photo: The entrance of the former Phoenix Police headquarters at 620 West Washington Street. Photo by Tony Webster, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
