Phoenix police offers DOJ findings as investigators host Aug. 29 Zoom event
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Officials at Phoenix City Hall are reporting the launch of an interactive website seeking to provide the general public information related to issues identified in the June Department of Justice report.
The Department of Justice in August 2021 announced a Civil Pattern or Practice investigation into the claims of excessive force at the Phoenix Police Department, which at the time marked the 71st investigation of the nature since the Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
Phoenix leaders published its ‘road to reform’ document available HERE, which local policymakers say sought a technical assistance letter from the DOJ rather than a formal consent decree.
It remains unclear how improvements at the Phoenix Police Department will unfold but Department of Justice investigators are hosting a public Zoom meeting 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. In the message to community partners DOJ officials offer a phone number to call and email to have questions addressed during the upcoming Aug. 29 public Zoom meeting.
To contact the DOJ investigators in Phoenix, call 866-432-03335 or send questions to them here: phoenix.community@usdoj.gov.
To register for the Zoom meeting, go HERE.
“We will discuss our work in Phoenix, talk about how pattern or practice investigations work, and answer some questions from you all,” DOJ officials told the Digital Free Press earlier this week.
The litigators of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice hosted a 60-minute webinar Thursday, June 13, to outline the findings of the 126-page report published earlier that day.
Meanwhile at the Phoenix Police Department, interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan says the new website, which was published earlier this month, showcases all corrective actions outlined in the DOJ findings of alleged misconduct.
“Evidence like incident reports, body worn camera videos and internal review documents are crucial to understand each incident described by DOJ,” Interim Police Chief Sullivan said in a prepared statement. “These materials are important for our community to see, and vital for the city to analyze as we strive to be a self-assessing and self-correcting department.”
Phoenix police website offers DOJ findings not disclosed in report
Officials at City Hall say the DOJ report does not reference specific information such as incident numbers or days but city leaders say they were able to identify many of the events with provided narratives of the reported incidents.
City officials report the website includes pertinent documents and videos associated with each incident from among the roughly 179,000 documents and 22,000 Body Worn Camera videos provided to DOJ during its investigation.
“This platform represents the City’s commitment to accountability and transparency,” City Manager Jeff Barton said in a prepared statement. “We believe the community deserves information associated with these events, and the website gives people access to the facts.”
Chief Sullivan says the department is analyzing 37 recommended remedial measures outlined by DOJ investigators.
“We want to compare these recommended remedial measures to the steps we have already taken to improve as a department,” Chief Sullivan said. “This is also an opportunity for us to look for ways we can make additional changes which better serve our community.”
