Chief of Police
Mesa Police Department
Chief Frank L. Milstead was selected to lead the Mesa Police Department on March 22, 2010 after 25 years of service to the Phoenix Police Department. He leads a department of more than 1200 men and woman, sworn and civilian, dedicated to providing exceptional police service to the third largest city in Arizona. He has pledged to leverage the talents and resources of the Mesa Police Department and its partners to make Mesa a safer city. In December 2011 Forbes Magazine named Mesa, Arizona the 7th safest city in the United States.
During his tenure with the Phoenix Police department Chief Milstead demonstrated highly successful leadership and management skill, serving in several high-profile positions that included command positions in the Homeland Defense Bureau, Major Offender Bureau and the Traffic Bureau. Chief Milstead was also involved in several multi-agency high-status cases, served in the Unified Command structure for Super Bowl 42 and the 2009 NBA All Star games, and maintains All Hazard Incident Commander status.
Chief Milstead holds a Bachelors Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, and is a graduate of the University of Louisville Southern Police Institute Chief Executive Leadership Program. Chief Milstead also participated in the FBI Leadership in Counterterrorism (LinCT) Pacific 2010-2011 program. This is a prestigious invitation-only program which consisted of four one-week cycles: one held in Seattle, WA; one in Cambridge (Harvard), MA; and two in Australia.
Chief Milstead serves as a member of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police (AACOP). Chief Milstead also serves on several boards and committees: Chairperson of the Arizona Regional Information Sharing Sub-Committee, Vice Chair of the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (AcTIC) Executive Board; Board Member of the MARC Center of Mesa; Board Member of the Genesis Academy for at-risk youth; member of the Rotary Club of Mesa; and named Honorary Chairperson for the 2011 Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.