PHOENIX — As a direct result of ABC15’s reporting, federal and state officials are now separately investigating the situation involving a former Phoenix homicide detective whose mistakes have impacted dozens of murder cases.
Records show that the Arizona Peace Officer Standard and Training Board (AZPOST) has opened a case against Jennifer DiPonzio.
AZPOST investigators are recommending that the board initiate disciplinary proceedings.
The Department of Justice has also conducted interviews regarding DiPonzio as part of its ongoing pattern or practice investigation into the City of Phoenix, according to sources.
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Earlier this year, ABC15 revealed that DiPonzio’s mistakes in handling evidence impacted at least 37 active court cases and 61 police investigations.
Records show she failed to properly document, impound, and handle various types of evidence over a several-year period.
DiPonzio, who is married to a Phoenix assistant chief, went on medical leave in 2021 when she was confronted with her mistakes, records show.
She officially retired under a confidential disability claim on December 27, 2022.
When Phoenix police officials notified AZPOST about her leaving the department, they omitted that she was the subject of an ongoing internal investigation, which is required under state law.
According to AZPOST guidelines, “Law enforcement agencies are required to submit a Termination Notice to POST any time an officer ceases to be employed by the agency. The form requires that a box be marked if the agency 'is aware of conduct that may violate Arizona Administrative Code R13-4-109(A)(1-9).'”
Phoenix marked “no” on DiPonzio’s termination notice even though the department had opened an internal investigation file related to her mishandled evidence more than a year earlier, records show.
That internal investigation wasn’t finalized and submitted until after AZPOST saw ABC15’s reporting and inquired why it wasn’t disclosed to the board.
Phoenix police have not provided ABC15 with a response to our questions.
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Phoenix police and Maricopa County prosecutors have been accused by defense attorneys of covering up DiPonzio’s misconduct and trying to keep it hidden from the court.
In recent months, defense teams have slowly forced the release of more information about her mistakes.
It began early this year when officials finally disclosed that DiPonzio didn’t properly impound or document more than 50 audio-recorded interviews in recent years.
That first disclosure was just a 24-page fact-finding document.
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But after a defense attorney got DiPonzio’s supervisor to admit there had been previous issues, police and prosecutors were forced to release 14,000 pages of additional files that document complaints and concerns throughout her career. Prosecutors, as well as attorneys representing the city and DiPonzio, have repeatedly told judges in criminal and civil cases that she is too unwell to be interviewed or testify.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@abc15.com.
