WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department announced Thursday that it is launching a full investigation into Phoenix police to investigate whether officials used excessive force and molested the homeless. The Phoenix City and Phoenix Police Department investigation is the third full-scale civil law enforcement investigation launched by the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice, and comes as the department has worked to shift its priorities to police and civil rights. Few such investigations were initiated during the Trump administration. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the investigation will also investigate whether the police have engaged in discriminatory police practices and work to determine whether officials have retaliated against anyone involved in the protected activities of the First Amendment. In June, the chief prosecutor of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, permanently dismissed charges, including gang allegations against more than a dozen people arrested during a protest against police brutality in October 2020. The move came amid complaints from civil rights attorneys that Phoenix police and prosecutors were pursuing abusive political prosecution charges to silence dissent and scare protesters. Democrat Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix, welcomed the Justice Department’s investigation and said she would assist with the ongoing police reform efforts she has been pushing since taking office in 2019. “Public safety reform is an ongoing process in Phoenix and now, with the help of USDOJ, this robust program continues,” Gallego said in a statement. The city also plans to start a new program this year to respond to mental health calls by sending behavioral health professionals to the scene. The city also has a new Police Accountability Bureau, tasked with independently investigating allegations of wrongdoing by officials. However, that office could be hampered by a new state law signed by Republican Governor Doug Ducey that restricts civil review bodies like the one that Phoenix set up. Councilor Sal DiCiccio, a frequent defense attorney for the Phoenix Police Department, said the department was “extremely attacked by activists out to expose the police.” “I salute another pair of eyes to see what we already know: that we have a department staffed with dedicated people who go out of their way to protect our community and do so honorably and fairly,” he said in an explanation. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which has historically sued the Phoenix Police Department for actions against protesters, said the investigation was needed to force the department to move. “This is not a bad apple case – Phoenix PD has ingrained, systemic problems with the way it treats community members,” said Victoria Lopez, the group’s legal and legal director, in a statement. Part of the investigation will also investigate whether police officers have violated the rights of people who are homeless by “confiscating and disposing of their property in a way that is against the constitution,” Garland said. The new investigation is known as a “pattern or practice” – it looks to see if there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing – and is generally a comprehensive review of the entire police force. Announcing the investigation, Garland also referred to what he called the “burden on the police profession of turning to law enforcement to address a wide range of social issues”. “Too often we have asked law enforcement officers to be the first and last option to address issues that should not be addressed by our criminal justice system,” he told Public Safety Meeting supervisors, reviewing body camera video, educational materials, and other recordings. She said the Justice Department spoke to Phoenix City officials and they expressed support for the investigation Enforce, abide by the law, “said Clarke. The Justice Department reviewed a number of publicly available information, including lawsuits and news reports, before deciding to open the Phoenix investigation, said Clarke. Police have been out over theirs for the past few years Dealing with Protes and the high number of shootings came under fire. One lawsuit alleged that police and prosecutors worked together to attack protesters during a demonstration last summer. In February, a local TV station reported that a team of police officers held another protest celebrating shooting a protester in the groin with commemorative coins they would share. “We have determined that the evidence here warrants a full investigation, but we are approaching this process without judgment or pre-set conclusions,” said Clarke. Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams defended the department and the reforms it has made in recent years at a press conference. But she said she was open to any recommendations from the Justice Department. “The Justice Department investigation is another opportunity to further improve the Department and serve our city better,” said Williams. “To wear the badge is a privilege, not a right. I’ll say it again, wearing that badge is a privilege, not a right. ”“ The majority of our officials out there act with professionalism and compassion every day, ”she added. Earlier this year, the Justice Department announced that it would launch similar investigations into police officers in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd and in Louisville, Kentucky, following the death of Breonna Taylor. ___ Christie reported from Phoenix. Associate press writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed to this
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