DEPARTMENTS
Animal Control
The Yavapai Humane Society maintains the kennels, located at 1605 Sundog Ranch Road, for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Prescott Valley Police Department, and the Prescott Police Department. Animal Control Officers respond to calls for service involving a wide variety of animal concerns.
Prescott Animal Control only has jurisdiction within the city limits of Prescott. If you live within the city limits of Prescott Valley you would need to contact their animal control at 928-772-9267, which is a police dispatch number. If you live within the city limits of Chino Valley you will need to contact their animal control at 928-636-4223, which is their police number. If you live outside of these cities, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has their own animal control unit and the main number for the Sheriff’s Office is 928-771-3260.
Barking Dogs
Barking dogs can present a major problem to citizens residing in the city of Prescott. While some people are very tolerant of dog barking, others are sensitive to the disturbance.
Due to varying work schedules of our neighbors, you or your neighbor’s dog could be barking at times when you or they are not home. Remember, the ideal solution is to talk to your neighbor first to try and resolve the issue. If the situation cannot be resolved, charges may be filed against the dog owner. The complainant (person annoyed by the barking dog) will begin this process by filing a formal complaint.
A complainant is required for an Animal Control Officer to respond to a barking dog call. The complainant must be willing to give their name and testify in court. An officer will not respond if you are unwilling to give this information.
Prescott City Code 5-2-5 (A)1, All dogs, hybrid dogs and hybrid cats shall be kept and maintained in such a manner so as not to disturb the peace, comfort or health of any person residing with the boundaries of the city. Any person or persons convicted of a violation of any provision of this section [5-2-5] shall be guilty of a petty offense, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300), in addition to any other sanctions to which the defendant may be subject.
Barking Dog Hotline:
You may call the Barking Dog Hotline at 928-777-1DOG (1364) to report a barking dog complaint and/or have information sent to a barking dog owner in your neighborhood.
Pet Adoption
The Yavapai Humane Society, as well as local rescue groups, do adopt out dogs and cats. There are fees involved in the adoption process and these fees include the spaying or neutering of the adoptions as required by law.
You can find a listing of the pets available for adoption by any local groups, to include the Humane Society, using the links below:
- Pets at Prescott Area Animal Lifesavers (Petfinder.com)
- Pets at United Animal Friends (UAF) (Petfinder.com)
- Pets at Lucky Club (Petfinder.com)
- Pets at Yavapai Humane Society
- Miss Kitty’s Cat House
- Circle L Ranch Animal Rescue and Sanctuary
Other Area Animal Organizations
Spay/Neuter Operations
To order a pet-friendly license plate, visit Service Arizona website and click on “Personalized/Specialized Plates”, or call the ADOT Motor Vehicles Division at 800-251-5866.
For more information please visit AZ Pet Plates.
The Yavapai Humane Society Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic offer low-cost and free spay/neuter surgeries for cats and dogs to our community. The clinic also offers a Friday Walk-in Vaccination Clinic to help reduce animal diseases such as Parvo in our community. Visit www.yavapaihumane.org/clinic for more information. YHS is a proud partner of the City of Prescott.
Dog Licensing
All dog owners are required to license their dogs within 60 days of moving to the city. Licenses are $6 per year for each dog that has been spayed or neutered, $30 per year for dogs that have not been spayed or neutered. Payments for licenses are due on or before January 1 of each year. A late fee penalty of $8 shall be added to the license fee in the event that application is made subsequent to the date on which the dog is to be licensed. Licenses will be prorated as follows for people moving here mid-year.
| Spayed/neutered | Unaltered | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid before 4/30 | $6 | $30 |
| 5/1 – 8/31 | $4 | $20 |
| 9/1 – 12/31 | $2 | $10 |
City of Prescott dog licensing may also be obtained at the Yavapai Humane Society, almost any veterinarian office located in the city plus veterinarians located in Chino Valley and Prescott Valley; see the list below for contact information. Please note that Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Yavapai County do have their own licensing for the areas they service.
| Participating Licensing Sites | Phone |
|---|---|
| The Yavapai Humane Society | 445-2666 |
| The Yavapai Humane Society Wellness Clinic | 771-0547 |
| Prescott Animal Hospital | 445-2190 |
| Prescott City Hall | 777-1291 |
| Pet Data | 855-332-4647 |
Bicycle Patrol
Selected officers from the Prescott Police Department receive 40 hours of patrol bicycle instruction and upon completion are capable of working patrol as a bicycle officer. Bicycle officers specialize in working localized areas and ongoing problems in our community as well as handling security for large gatherings and events. Bicycle officers have the capability of moving through crowded areas very quickly and have established themselves as an effective tool for keeping our community safe, while being easily accessible to everyone.
In addition, bicycle officers support patrol officer’s efforts by handling calls for service or working on issues within our community that require additional efforts outside of regular patrol duties. Also, bicycle officers can be called upon to assist detectives working on specific investigations that require additional manpower to further a case. The bike patrol can also become a resource to the Traffic Safety Section when needed to help with traffic complaints and working special city events, such as parades.
Dispatch Center
- Central Arizona Fire Authority
- Groom Creek Fire District
- Prescott Fire Department
- Prescott Police Department
- Prescott Valley Police Department
- Yavapai College
- Walker Fire Protection Association
- Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Police
- Priority Ambulance Yavapai
The regional center concept has the advantage of real-time communications between partnering agencies serving over 1,176 square miles.
24 Hours A Day
Prior to 2005, dispatching occurred at numerous locations for police and fire. Various deficiencies were identified such as, minimal coordination, lack of cooperation among agencies, inadequate sharing of information, competition for qualified staff members, minimal opportunities for training and promotion, and the cost effectiveness of purchasing and implementing technological enhancements separately. For these reasons, a feasibility study was conducted by an outside consulting firm, and in April of 2005, joint operations began at the Prescott Regional (Public Safety) Communications Center.
The PRCC is a 24-hour operation staffed by 36 civilian employees who are cross-trained to handle Police, Fire and EMS emergency calls. The Center answers over 20,000 emergency and non-emergency monthly.
E-9-1-1
When a call is made to 9-1-1, the dispatcher has instantaneous information of where the call is being made. Although the location is made available to the dispatcher, it is imperative that callers give the dispatcher their current location.
New technology allows for the dispatcher to have approximate location information for calls made to 9-1-1 from cellular telephones. Callers should always identify their geographical location when calling 9-1-1 from a cell phone so valuable time in dispatching units is not wasted.
AlertYAVAPAI
Get up-to-the-minute information about severe weather, road closures, and much more!
Yavapai County residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertYAVAPAI the County’s new Emergency Mass Notification System. AlertYAVAPAI replaces the CodeRed system which the County previously used to notify residents and businesses of emergencies.
The Alert YAVAPAI system enhances officials’ ability to quickly communicate with the public and provide critical and time-sensitive information for emergencies such as wildfires, evacuations, floods and missing persons. By registering for Alert YAVAPAI, you can receive alerts via cell phone by voice or text, email addresses, home phone, business phone, and more.
Uses for AlertYAVAPAI
Missing children and Endangered adult broadcasts
Information of critical events, i.e., earthquakes, fire, floods
Notification of hazards, i.e., downed power lines causing road closures, hazardous spills, etc.
Crime Alerts and urgent public safety information.
Text to 911 – Is now available in Yavapai County. Our center is equipped to receive and respond to mobile phone Text-to-9-1-1 messages from our community. Call if you can – Text if you can’t.
Investigations
The Prescott Police Department’s Investigation Section is comprised of seven detectives and one sergeant. The Prescott Police Department is also represented in area task forces such as PANT (Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking).
The primary function of the Investigation’s Section is to represent and support victims of crime through follow-up and diligent investigatory methods to bring cases to a successful resolution. Detectives work in cooperation with the patrol division and other law enforcement agencies to ensure each case is prosecuted effectively.
K9 Patrol
Benny Training Hard!
Cooper Showing Off!
The Prescott Police Department currently employs two K-9 officers and their partners who are trained in the detection of narcotics. Officers Troy Crawford and Kyle Altop are assigned as our K-9 Officers. Troy is partners with Benny and Kyle partners with Cooper.
The Prescott Police Department has received generous grant funding from the Yavapai County Community Foundation (YCCF). Yearly YCCF has supported the K-9 program by providing funding for the dogs, equipment, construction of a training site, and training opportunities.
The funding received from YCCF is critical to the success of the program. For questions regarding the K-9 Unit, please contact Sergeant Jack Shapiro.
Patrol Operations
Lieutenant Gary Novak serves as head of the Patrol Operations Bureau. His area of responsibility includes:
5 Patrol Squads
Animal Control
K-9 Unit
Police Reserve Program
Property and Evidence
- Special Events
Lieutenant Gary Novak began his career with the Prescott Police Department in August of 2000 and promoted to Lt. in October of 2021. During his career he has served in the Patrol Bureau, Community Service Section as a bicycle officer, field training officer, Lead Police Officer, K9 Sergeant, Special Weapons and Tactics Team, Field Training Coordinator and Academy Instructor.
Property Evidence Unit
The Property and Evidence Unit is comprised of two technicians who also serve as crime scene technicians. The unit provides for the systematic and secure transportation, handling and storage of items of evidence to include stolen and recovered property and found property in accordance with Arizona State Law and Prescott Police Department Policy.
Prescription Drug Drop Off
If you would like to drop unused prescription drugs off at the City of Prescott Police Department, you can do so during the hours of 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. Please remove your pills/capsules/tablets from their containers and or bottles and put them all into a Ziploc bag.
We do not take the following:
- Aerosols
- Glass containers
- Syringes or sharpies (You can place those into a medical container or a heavy plastic or metal container. Duct tape them shut with a “DO NOT RECYCLE” label and dispose in your regular trash.
Property Release Times
All evidence, found property, and safekeeping property will be released by the property custodians during the following hours:
- Monday: Appointment Only
- Tuesday: Appointment Only
- Wednesday: Appointment Only
- Thursday: Appointment Only
- Friday: Appointment Only
Records Section
The Police Records Section serves as the central repository for incident, arrest and traffic records prepared by department personnel.
Records assists the general public, department personnel, representatives from other agencies in obtaining police related information; provides copies of police reports to citizens, insurance companies, lawyers, city prosecutor, county attorney, victim witness, etc; reviews and enters data from police reports into the computerized records management system; handles warrants, subpoenas, summons and related paperwork, completes mandated state and federal monthly validations of all police department entries into state and federal databases; ensures proper disposal of confidential materials and reports that have met state purge criteria and images records for retention purposes.
Clerks must be certified on the Arizona Criminal Justice Information System and National Crime Information System. FBI National, Arizona State and Prescott Local reports are disseminated from the Records Section.
Special Operations Bureau
Lieutenant Jason Small serves as head of the Special Operations Bureau. His area of responsibility includes:
- Citizens on Patrol
- Investigations Section
- Police Explorer Program
- Support Services Section
- Traffic Safety Section
- Victim Services Unit
Lieutenant Small has 24 years of progressive law enforcement experience to include patrol operations, Investigations Section Sergeant, narcotics detective, SWAT and special enforcement officer. Lieutenant Small holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Arizona State University.
He is an AZPOST General Instructor and an Academy Instructor in various law related topics. Lieutenant Small is a graduate of the Arizona Leadership Program and the FBI LEEDA Command Institute for Law Enforcement Executives.
Support Bureau
Lieutenant Kasun currently serves as the head of the Support Bureau and his areas of responsibility include the following:
- Special Weapons and Tactics Team
- Public Information Officer
- Records
- Training and Recruiting
- Professional Standards
- Honor Guard
Lieutenant Corey Kasun began his career with the Prescott Police Department in January of 2000 and was promoted to Lt. in January of 2019 . During his career he has served in the Patrol Bureau on the Special Weapons and Tactics Team as a Team Leader and Team Commander, Traffic Safety Section and as Class Sergeant for the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy.
He is an AZPOST General Instructor and Specialty Instructor in several areas. He has earned several Department awards such as Officer of the Year, Top Shooter, Physical Fitness and Supervisor of the Year.
SWAT responds to high risk incidences such as:
- Barricaded suspects
- Hostage situations
- High risk search warrants
- Executive protection details
- Requests from other agencies
- Other duties as directed by the Chief of Police
S.W.A.T.
The Special Weapons and Tactics Team is comprised of officers and sergeants from all bureaus within the Department. Team members receive additional training in weapons and tactics used in high risk situations. The team operates on a part-time basis and is available for calls at any time.
The SWAT team is comprised of an entry team, sniper unit, negotiations unit and also has a fully certified paramedic from the Prescott Fire Department assigned to the team .
Traffic Safety
The primary duty of the Prescott Police Department Traffic Safety Section is to promote traffic safety in the city of Prescott. This is accomplished through aggressive enforcement of the traffic laws, enforcement of commercial vehicle laws and regulations, education to the public, and through specialized programs such as DUI task force activities and input on the City’s Transportation Coordination Committee.
Personnel
The Traffic Safety Section is comprised of four full time motor officers and one sergeant. These officers conduct traffic patrol and enforcement, investigate vehicle crashes, including all serious and fatal crashes, and detect and arrest impaired drivers. Of the five full time motor officers, all of which are drug recognition experts, four are trained phlebotomists and four are certified child safety seat technicians.
A parking control officer is also assigned to the Section to promote parking turnover in the downtown business district by enforcing parking regulations, including the timed parking limitations.
Traffic Complaints
The Prescott Police Department regularly receives complaints on various traffic related matters throughout the city. The majority have to do with speeding in neighborhoods. Due to limited resources and the inability to be everywhere at once, the Traffic Safety Section has a volunteer that deploys a mobile speed display trailer on a weekly basis. This trailer identifies the speeds of passing vehicles, works as a deterrent, and as an educational tool. To request the speed display trailer in your area, please call the Traffic Safety Section supervisor by calling (928) 777-1943.
