PHOENIX — When video of Wall Street Journal reporter Dion Rabouin’s detainment went viral this month, the Phoenix Police Department said the matter was under internal investigation and has been open since it happened.
But a voicemail left for Rabouin in December seems to contradict the city’s claims.
Roubin shared the voicemail with ABC15:
Hello, this is Sgt. Kelly Barnes with the Phoenix Police Department Professional Standards Bureau. I’m calling a Dion Rabouin back. We spoke a little while ago about your complaint that happened at Chase Bank. I was just giving you a call back to let you know what the findings were of the investigation. I reviewed the body worn cameras of the officers involved and spoke with the employees of the Chase Bank. And based on the information that was provided and what I saw on the body worn camera, there’s nothing that rises to the level of any employee misconduct. And therefore, the complaint will be closed.
RELATED: Phoenix PD handcuffed, detained Wall Street Journal reporter
Rabouin was handcuffed and detained on November 23rd outside a Chase Bank in north Phoenix.
Outside the building, the reporter was interviewing customers for a story about savings accounts, and bank employees called police to have him trespassed. In a police report, the main officer wrote that bank employees told him that they asked Rabouin to leave.
Rabouin told ABC15 he was never asked to leave, and bank executives have apologized directly to him for what happened.
Following his detainment, Rabouin filed a complaint with the department’s Public Standards Bureau.
He got the voicemail on December 9th.
ABC15 aired cell phone video of Rabouin’s detainment on January 4, 2023, and the video quickly gained national attention.
Phoenix police did not respond to multiple requests for comment ahead of the initial report but issued a statement the following day saying that the matter was under administrative investigation.
When ABC15 asked when the investigation was launched, a spokesperson sent the following email.
“The administrative process began on November 28th, 2022. The investigation remains open and was never closed,” wrote Donna Rossi, the department’s communications director.
In a follow-up email to explain the discrepancy, Rossi wrote, "There are multiple layers of review before an investigation is formally closed. This investigation was not closed."
The contradictions aren’t only limited to the voicemail.
RELATED: Woman who recorded viral video speaks to ABC15
Katelyn Parady, the witness who recorded the incident on her cell phone, also filed a complaint.
She said she also received a call from Sgt. Barnes on December 9th saying that the investigation into her complaint was closed.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigative Reporter Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
