PHOENIX — Members of a Phoenix City Council subcommittee seemed skeptical of the Department of Justice’s timeline of the investigation, with concern the city could be pigeonholed into negotiating a consent decree that would include a performance improvement plan for the police department even before councilmembers are able to see results of the DOJ’s civil rights investigation.
“Why the hell would anybody ever accept a consent decree,” District 2 Councilmember Jim Waring asked presenters. “I’m sure when they started this process, they expected us to just roll over like every other city does and wind up having them run our police department the next 10-12 years and pay them for the privilege.”
“We don’t want to blindly sign an agreement in principle prior to reading those findings,” District 1 Councilmember Ann O’Brien said.
The Maricopa County Attorney's office gave a presentation to the subcommittee Wednesday on their experience with mandated police reforms at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. More than a decade ago in a lawsuit settlement, MCSO was assigned an independent monitor — one that is still in place today.
RELATED: What Phoenix can learn from Albuquerque’s decade under a DOJ consent decree
“We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Tom Liddy with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. “I don't want to leave you with a feeling that if you don't sign a consent decree you're going to save hundreds of millions of dollars, because that's not factual.”
Any consent decree agreement between the DOJ and Phoenix PD would also bring an independent monitor to oversee Phoenix PD's progress.
“I'm not so much as frustrated as I am anxious,” said District 6 Councilmember Kevin Robinson, who spent decades in the Phoenix Police Department.
He is adamant he wants to see the final report before making conclusions on a consent decree or independent monitor.
RELATED: Phoenix city leaders push back even before DOJ probe is finished
“There have been agencies where definitely that needed to be done. I'm not thoroughly convinced the Phoenix Police Department is one of them.”
The DOJ’s investigation began in August of 2021. It has been looking into things like Phoenix PD's use of force and whether the department engages in discriminatory policing.
RELATED: DOJ investigation into Phoenix PD marks 2 years; Where does it stand?
“We have not heard anything from the DOJ other than a definitive they won’t provide us with 14 days to review their facts of findings to ensure they’re actually facts, so yes I’m frustrated,” O’Brien said.
Hundreds of thousands of documents and 20 terabytes of data have been turned over, but there's still no final report.
