Glendale police officers assist Westgate with increased security

GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) – Glendale’s Westgate Entertainment District and the city’s police are working together to increase security with the help of the “Entertainment Squad.”

The force was established in September 2023. It consists of patrol officers from Glendale who are stationed at Westgate.

“We are a small piece in a big puzzle when it comes to special events,” said Sergeant Joshua Brill. “Just like any good patrol officer who knows his area, we have to know that area as well or better than anyone else.”

This gives the force a home advantage when serious incidents occur in Westgate. The force can also access the police's Real Time Crime Centre (RTCC), which is synchronised with more than 1,500 cameras across the city, drones and number plate readers, giving officers details of the crime scene before they arrive.

Sgt. Brill calls it groundbreaking.

“Not only can we now respond quickly, but we are also able to get things under control quickly and close many cases,” said Sergeant Brill.

The Entertainment Squad also works with Westgate's private security and off-duty officers hired by the district to keep an eye on things around the clock.

“I feel like maybe we helped fill a gap that they wanted to make this place even safer and better,” said Sergeant Brill.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers is proud of what Westgate has become.

“As far as Westgate goes, everything that's happening here, all the things that are happening here, there's no one that's doing anything to us,” said Mayor Weiers. “For me, that's a blessing. I've seen this place literally grow out of the fields.”

Westgate opened in 2006. It features offices, shops, restaurants and apartments.

In 2018 it was purchased by YAM Properties.

“There's something for everyone here. That's what I always say, and if it's not here, it's coming,” says Marta Kenny, operations manager at YAM Properties.

She said Westgate is visited by tens of thousands of people every day, largely due to major events held in the district at Desert Diamond Arena and nearby State Farm Stadium – home of the Arizona Cardinals.

“Since we acquired the center, we knew that security was an important consideration,” Kenney said. “Security is probably one of the largest items in our budget.”

Kenny said more than $1.5 million is spent on private security measures each year, and another million has been spent over the years on other measures such as surveillance cameras and license plate readers synchronized with the RTCC.

“I think it kind of improves on things that were already there,” Kenny said.

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