Click to enlarge US Attorney General Merrick Garland today announced a full investigation into possible abuse by the Phoenix Police Department. C-Span The US Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the Phoenix Police Department and the City of Phoenix into a number of alleged police misconduct, including excessive violence and retaliation against demonstrators. The investigation, announced today by Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, will investigate “all types of violence,” including lethal violence used by Phoenix officials and whether the division “Discriminates” police work, “retaliates” against demonstrators, or “illegally confiscates or dispose of the property of people affected by homelessness.” The investigation will also include training, oversight, guidelines, investigations into the use of force and the ” The department’s “review of accountability systems.” The investigation will determine whether the Phoenix Police Department is pursuing a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law, “Garland said today at a news conference in Washington, DC.” These investigations are intended to provide transparency and Accountability ht promote. This increases public confidence, which in turn increases public safety. “Clarke said during the press conference that the DOJ was reviewing court records, media reports and” citizen complaints “to determine whether or not to open an investigation Evidence “warrants a full investigation,” she noted. Related Stories I Support Local Community Journalism Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of the New Times clear. “If we conclude that there are no systemic violations of constitutional or federal rights by the city or Phoenix police force, we will announce this, we will issue a report describing our findings, and then try to work with the city to resolve it to reach an agreement on the best remedial action, “Clar said ke. “If an appropriate remedy cannot be reached through agreement, the attorney general has the power to bring an action to obtain an appropriate provisional remedy.” DOJ officials have already informed Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Chief Jeri Williams of the investigation, the press release said. In a statement, Gallego said she welcomed the investigation and was “ready to assist the USDOJ during this review process”. During a press conference in Phoenix today after the investigation was announced, Phoenix City Manager Ed Zürcher said the city will “cooperate fully with the DOJ.” Chief Williams agreed. “If they tell us to do something differently, we will fully accept that,” said Williams. “We’re not afraid to greet anyone who comes in and does an external review of our agency.” The new investigation comes after the Phoenix Police Department sparked a number of high-profile controversies related to police misconduct, such as the department’s crackdown on protests against police brutality last summer. Here are just a few of the possible reasons the DOJ is looking to investigate whether Phoenix police officers frequently and questionably violate people’s civil rights. Crackdown protest Last summer, hundreds of people took to the streets of Phoenix en masse to protest the murder of George Floyd and the behavior of the police in general. Phoenix Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, forcing people out of their cars, chasing protesters through residential areas, and arresting hundreds of people by copying and pasting statements on probable causes – only to dismiss the judges on the cases First hearing. As documented in a Phoenix New Times story last June, a protester was taken to the emergency room after a rubber bullet broke his arm. The Phoenix Police Department and the city are currently being sued for cracking down on the protests. The department reportedly refuses to release the property of protesters whose cases have already been dismissed. Attack on activists Many activists involved in protests against police brutality last summer have consistently claimed that they have been targeted and prosecuted by the Phoenix Police Department. For example, Bruce Franks Jr., a former Missouri state lawmaker and activist who now lives in Arizona, has alleged that officials selected him for arrest while he was peacefully protesting outside downtown police headquarters last August. Protesters were also arrested by police weeks after participating in demonstrations. Then, in October, at another protest, over a dozen people were arrested and eventually charged by a grand jury of allegedly part of a criminal street gang. However, reports revealed that Phoenix prosecutors and police officers mistakenly portrayed the protesters as part of a non-existent “ACAB” – an acronym for the slogan “All Cops Are Bastards”. Maricopa District Attorney Allister Adel finally dismissed all cases and now protesters are suing Adel and Chief Williams. In addition, an October 2020 New Times investigative report revealed that Phoenix Police were involved in the surveillance of civil rights activists. Policing the Homeless Garland said the DOJ will investigate whether the department is “violating the rights of those affected by homelessness” by “seizing and disposing of their property in a way that is contrary to the constitution.” The New Times has reported cases of police cracking down on local people in Phoenix. Before and during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials forced homeless people to dismantle their tents and relocate. In July 2020, Phoenix Police issued a homeless woman a ticket to camp in an alley instead of trying to see if resources were available for her, as he should have. Shoot Lots of People It’s no secret that Phoenix Police shoot lots of people; its critics often refer to it as the “deadliest” police agency in the country. The department recorded more police shootings in 2018 than any other law enforcement agency in the country. In 2020, community outrage rose over a series of high-profile police shootings, including the murder of Ryan Whitaker, who was fatally shot in his own home handing over to officers; The City of Phoenix eventually paid Whitaker’s family a $ 9 million settlement after taking legal action. While police shootings in 2020 did not hit 2018 levels, they surged above 2019 numbers. Excessive Violence There is no shortage of documented cases of what appears to be high levels of aggressive violence from Phoenix police officers. For example, the department is being sued for allegedly causing severe burns to a black teenager while police officers held her on scorching sidewalk during a 2019 arrest. A man filed a lawsuit against the department last fall after Phoenix police shot a K9 at him while he was hiding under a car after his initial escape; The dog attack allegedly resulted in $ 20,000 medical bills. In 2017, a man named Muhammad Muhaymin Jr. died while arrested on a pending arrest warrant after failing to appear in court on charges of possession of marijuana. During the arrest, the officers put their knees on his head and neck; Muhaymin said, “I can’t breathe” and eventually died in a puddle of his own vomit. And how could anyone forget the time in 2019 when Phoenix cops turned their guns on a black family whose child walked out of a shop with a doll. During the incident, an officer told the child’s father, 22-year-old Dravon Ames, “I’m going to put a damn cap on your head.” The family eventually sued $ 475,000.
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