PHX Reporter

After nearly 30 months of full cooperation with the Department of Justice investigation into the City of Phoenix and Phoenix Police Department, city leaders are requesting an alternative resolution as a method to continue implementing and tracking reforms – A technical assistance letter from DOJ rather than consent decree. The request was made as part of a letter and report drafted by Steptoe LLP and delivered to the DOJ on behalf of the City of Phoenix.
 “In Phoenix, the heavy hand of federal oversight in the form of a consent decree and an independent monitor is not the appropriate remedy," one excerpt from the report reads. Instead, a technical assistance letter would allow the DOJ to provide Phoenix remedial recommendations and mechanisms to ensure proper implementation without the presence of a court enforced consent decree and monitor.

 This request is being made as the Phoenix Police Department implements a sweeping wave of reforms and improvements, which are the focus of the report. These reforms are based on industry best practices and include recommendations proposed by the DOJ in other cities. Some of these reforms date back more than a decade, while many others were implemented under the direction of Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan. “We need to be a self-assessing, self-correcting agency. And that's not just something we say," Sullivan reiterated in a recent video message to the community. “

 Since joining the Phoenix Police Department, Interim Chief Sullivan has spearheaded a revision of the Use of Force Policy and implemented a transparent community feedback protocol for major policy changes moving forward. New scenario-based trainings have been mandated for both sworn and professional staff at Phoenix PD. There are more robust systems of accountability being implemented, which create a culture of transparency. The Phoenix City Council has supported these reforms and at times even helped to initiate the improvements. City Council authorized funding for body worn cameras, The Community Assistance Program, (CAP) community court, and authorized millions of dollars in funding to address homelessness.

 “Although the City and PPD welcome the additional insights that the DOJ findings report may bring, they are not willing to hand over PPD's continuing reform to a consent decree process that is complicated, expensive, and cedes control to the DOJ, an independent monitor, and a federal judge," the report states.

The City of Phoenix is welcoming guidance on next steps from the DOJ, while also remaining committed to the reform process regardless of federal involvement.

For more information on the Department of Justice Investigation into the City of Phoenix and Phoenix Police Department, as well as resources on police reforms, visit phoenix.gov/doj

Link to the letter:

Letter to the DOJ on behalf of the City of Phoenix (PDF)

Link to full report:

The Phoenix Police Department: The Road to Reform (PDF)

Related Social Media Hashtags and Handles: @PhoenixPolice

Original source can be found here.