PHOENIX — With the Department of Justice’s pattern or practice investigation crossing the two-year mark, there is no indication that an end to the sweeping probe of Phoenix and its police department is near completion.
ABC15 has recently spoken to multiple sources who said federal attorneys continue to conduct fact-finding interviews and collect evidence -- and not only from the city but from witnesses and outside parties.
(Video in player above is from previous coverage of the DOJ probe)
In a video update produced by city public relations staff, interim police chief Michael Sullivan said the DOJ has been to the city seven times with the most recent in spring.
“Those meetings have been productive,” Sullivan said.
The DOJ investigation was announced on August 5, 2021.
The probe focuses on five key areas:
- Assess all types of force, including deadly force;
- Whether PPD engages in retaliatory activity against people for conduct protected by the First Amendment;
- Whether PPD engages in discriminatory policing;
- Whether PPD unlawfully seizes or disposes of the belongings of individuals experiencing homelessness;
- Assess City and Police systems and practices for responding to people with disabilities.
RELATED: Phoenix police ranks #1 in deadly use of force compared to other major departments
Unlike other recent DOJ probes in other cities that were triggered by specific high-profile police killings – George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN and Breanna Taylor in Louisville – the investigation into Phoenix appeared to be launched because of a build-up of concerns over several years.
In recent years, Phoenix officers have killed people at a higher rate than any other major department in the country.
The department also was caught falsely charging demonstrators in multiple protests over several years.
POLITICALLY CHARGED: ABC15 investigates Phoenix protest cases
The most egregious example: Phoenix police colluded with county prosecutors to invent a fake gang and charge protesters as members.
Phoenix has provided approximately 80,000 documents, containing one million pages, to DOJ staff in addition to 20,000 body camera videos, according to city records.
So far, the department estimates the cost of the DOJ probe at $5 million.
A spokesperson said Phoenix did not have a detailed breakdown of those costs available but will provide one to the city council in the coming weeks.
RELATED: Phoenix hires big-name attorney for DOJ investigation
The DOJ probes into Minneapolis and Louisville ended at or before the two-year mark. The longest comparable probe into a police department lasted roughly three years.
Use-of-Force incidents increase
An analysis of the data year to date shows 746 use-of-force incidents by the Phoenix Police Department in the first four months of 2023. This is a 6% increase from the first four months of last year and an over 30% increase since 2020. Both 2020 and 2021 were years dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The trends broken down by ethnicity are eye-opening. Per capita, use of force rates for white, Hispanic, and “other” ethnicities have increased slightly over the years, but those numbers remain stable compared to African Americans.
The use-of-force rates on Black people are double what they were five years ago, and this year, Blacks are nearly five times as likely to experience police use of force compared to everyone else. The data also shows Black people are more likely to be subject to deadly force.
There have been 21 officer-involved shootings so far this year recorded by the Phoenix Police Department. This represents a 50% increase in one year and the most since 2018, the year the department had more officer-involved shootings than any other police department in the United States.
So far, however, 2022 is trending below 2018. There were 30 Phoenix police shootings by the end of July 2018 and 44 in total.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
