The video is a news report from Arizona’s Family (3TV/CBS 5), aired on or around December 11-12, 2025. It investigates allegations of manipulated crime statistics in Gilbert, Arizona.

Gilbert, Arizona – once celebrated as one of the safest big cities in America – now facing serious accusations that its low crime numbers were artificially created.

A former town councilman is claiming the Gilbert Police Department manipulated how crimes and emergency calls were reported for years – making the town look safer than it actually was, and even helping it earn national rankings like second-safest city in the country.

Former Councilman Bill Spence (at town council meeting, on camera):

“He said the chief fudged numbers… I took our response times from 6.31 [minutes] to four minutes by nothing but changing the database.”
Reporter (voiceover):

Bill Spence says he learned about the alleged manipulation from current Councilman Kenny Buckland, who previously worked in leadership at the Gilbert Police Department.

According to Spence, about a decade ago, the department created a new category called “Priority Zero” for certain emergency calls – things like bank robberies or injury accidents – that weren’t counted in the highest priority levels. This reportedly lowered both reported crime rates and average response times.
Those numbers were then submitted to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, contributing to Gilbert’s high safety rankings.
Spence argues this came at a cost: reduced police staffing and a false sense of security for residents.

Councilman Kenny Buckland (responding at meeting, on camera):

Buckland pushed back, stating the town always followed the law and reporting standards.

Reporter:
Current town leaders and police officials insist they complied with all laws and that the “Priority Zero” system – which is no longer in use – was consistent with practices at other agencies. They say recent response time data is accurate and comparable.

Gilbert Police released a statement
emphasizing their commitment to transparency and noting average response times through September 2025.

No official investigation into falsification has been announced, but the allegations have sparked debate about how crime data is handled.

Austin Walker, Arizona’s Family – Reporter in Video.