Security enhancements coming to City buildings in Downtown Phoenix
Beginning in mid-September, security enhancements will occur at both Phoenix City Hall and the Calvin C. Goode building. Both buildings are located off of 3rd Ave. with city hall on the north side of Washington St. and the Goode building on the south side.
The public will use a new 'main entrance' at city hall on the north side of Washington St. side under the iconic sunburst. These doors were previously closed to the public. After entering, visitors will be required to pass through a full security screening and/or hand-held metal detector. All bags will be screened through an x-ray machine.
Visitors entering the Goode building will also be required to go through a full security screening and/or hand-held metal detector after entering the building through the north doors.
"The safety and security of employees and citizens who use two of our largest city office facilities is imperative," said Lisa Jones, Phoenix Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "We live in a time where we cannot ignore the reality of making sure those who use our public buildings are safe and that includes making sure the buildings are still accessible to the public."
On a weekly basis, approximately 25,000 people enter and exit city hall and the Goode building, combined. The security enhancements were based on input from city experts, an assessment conducted by the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center and best practices at cities across the country with buildings similar to these in downtown Phoenix.
Contractors, vendors and package delivery staff will also be required to follow the new procedures which are similar to those already in place at the Phoenix Municipal Court building. City employees will be required to continue wearing official identification while in each building. And security guards and uniformed police officers will be visible in each location.
The public often visits city hall for numerous city services including voting or turning in ballots, licensing services, reserving parks facilities, landlord/tenant counseling, permitting and plan review. At the Goode building, the public can visit the city's Human Resources Center to apply for a job.
The city encourages all visitors to plan for extra time when arriving at both city buildings due to the new security improvements.
