PHX Reporter

PHOENIX - The Phoenix Police Department is continuously working to advance its policy, training and tools to best serve the community. Part of this commitment involved a revision of the “Use of Force" policy, which lasted much of 2023 and invited input from several stakeholders. 

  

“We spent a whole lot of time reaching out to folks out in the community and within the department," Interim Chief Michael Sullivan said. This new community-based approach to policy change is something Sullivan brought with him when taking office in late 2022. “One of the first things I did when I arrived here last year was make sure we took a look at our use of force policy. It's the basis of building trust with the community," Sullivan said. 

  

The first step in this process was for several Sergeants and Detectives in the Continuous Improvement Unit (CIU) to draft a new policy by researching other highly regarded documents across the nation. Together with outside experts and Interim Chief Sullivan's executive team, the Continuous Improvement Unit launched a holistic review of the existing policy. CIU also leveraged the experience and knowledge of subject matter experts within the department to create an initial draft. This first draft was posted on the city of Phoenix website in January 2023 along with a social media request for the community to weigh in. 

  

Over the course of two weeks, Phoenix PD received more than 800 comments from internal and external stakeholders. Interim Chief Sullivan also reached out to the Department of Justice for their input on the initial draft. “We received a number of pieces of input from them and we incorporated that feedback," said Sgt. Seth Zacharias who helped write the policy. 

  

CIU and Phoenix PD Executive Staff then invited the public to one of several community presentations where significant changes were outlined. Most importantly, these presentations allowed the community to ask questions and provide in-person feedback on any changes. This final piece of feedback helped the Phoenix PD Training Bureau develop a two-day (20 hour) training program for all sworn employees. This training process will begin in early 2024 and a final version of the policy will not take affect until all officers are trained.

  

The policy itself clearly defines core principles, terms and responsibilities before, during and after using force. The criteria for using force involves a decision-making process that must meet a “reasonable, necessary, and proportional," threshold to the totality of the circumstances that were known or should have been known at the time. The protocol for reporting uses of force is also clearly outlined in the new policy revision, giving employees clear guidance on their duties after an incident. 

  

“We defined what we meant as a department so it's clear to officers having to go out and do this incredibly difficult work what we mean when we talk about different concepts," Sullivan said. 

  

Navigate to the link below if you would like to read the Use of Force draft policy. 

Original source can be found here.