PHOENIX FIRE INVESTIGATIONS’ CLEARANCE RATE IS MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE

Phoenix, AZ. — Over the past three years, the Phoenix Fire Department’s Fire Investigations Section has seen a dramatic increase in the number of cases it has cleared. For 2009, the section cleared 55% of its cases – over three times the national average of 18%!

Ask the man in charge, Jack Ballentine, how they accomplished this impressive feat and he’ll tell you that in the past three years the Phoenix Fire Department has focused extensively on continuous education, worked closely with the Phoenix Police Department’s crime laboratory, sent all the fire investigators to detective school, and even groomed their own criminal analyst.

“It comes down to the fact that we’ve built up the fire investigators’ skills and given them the tools to do the job,” says Jack Ballentine. “Fire Chief Bob Khan had a vision three years ago. He understood that there needed to be a change and he supported our section all the way.”

For more information about the successes of the Phoenix Fire Department’s Fire Investigations Section, contact Jack Ballentine at 602-908-7074.

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