Chandler: Internal Emails Show City Reassured Police Chief on Residency as Voters Face Rule Change

The question no one asked at the podium

Internal emails show Chandler city leadership assured Police Chief Bryan Chapman he was meeting the spirit of a residency requirement, even as the city council moved to change that very rule for voters to decide this November.

Chandler's city charter requires all department heads to become residents of the city within six months of being appointed. Chapman was hired in March 2024. He had until the fall of that year to comply.

"I tried multiple times in 2014 to purchase a house in the city of Chandler and kept getting out bid, so I ended up in Ahwatukee for the last 10 years," Chapman said.

Chapman owns a home in Ahwatukee, a Phoenix community about 20 minutes from Chandler Police headquarters. Multiple Chandler city sources told FOX 10 that Chapman's primary residence may not be in Chandler.

An email that changed nothing

On June 6, 2025, former City Manager Joshua Wright sent Chapman an email with the subject line: "RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT – CHARTER COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE," according to records obtained through an open records request by FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum.

Wright wrote that Chapman had "taken specific steps to comply with both the letter and spirit of the charter provision." The email noted the chief maintained a residential lease within Chandler while owning his Ahwatukee home.

One week later, the Chandler City Council adopted an ordinance to form a charter advisory committee. The committee's job was to review the charter and recommend potential changes.

The tipster's claim

An email sent to current City Manager John Pombier earlier this month raised new allegations, according to the open records documents. The unnamed tipster claimed that Chapman's Chandler rental property is actually occupied by his son. The tipster alleged that Chapman commutes from Phoenix to Chandler daily.

The tipster suggested that GPS data from tracking devices in city vehicles could prove the claim.

What the ballot measure would do

A charter amendment changing residency requirements will appear on the November 2026 ballot in Chandler. It is one of four proposed amendments on the ballot.

If voters approve the measure:

• The residency requirement would no longer apply to department heads like the police chief
• Only the city manager and positions appointed by city council (city attorney, clerk, and magistrate) would need to be residents within 12 months of appointment
• All city employees would still be required to live within a "reasonable distance" of the city

The city's response

Chandler's communications director told FOX 10 that "owning or leasing property in Chandler satisfies the residency requirement" and that all department directors are aware of the rule.

The city said plans to form the charter amendment advisory committee began in early 2025, before Wright's memo to Chapman about compliance.

A city spokesperson said it was aware of the claim that Chapman's son lives in the rental property. The spokesperson pointed back to the city's position that owning or leasing property satisfies the residency code.

What residents can do

Chandler residents can submit comments on the proposed amendment through a form on the city's website, according to FOX 10.

Information in this report comes from Chandler's city charter, the city's communications director, and internal emails obtained through open records requests by FOX 10.