PHOENIX — Once a week. That’s about how often Maricopa County had a police shooting in 2023.
While the number seems high, it’s eight fewer than the previous year, 53 compared to 61, respectively.
Former Department of Public Safety Detective and President of Arizona Concerns of Police Survivors James Warriner credits the downward trend to new training policies and prioritizing mental health.
“Agencies across the nation, including Arizona are looking at the training requirements and the use of force — what are some of the other options we have that we can lessen the use of force and learning how to speak with different individuals and understanding cultural makeups,” Warriner told ABC15. “More and more agencies are sending their officers to training that deals with the emotional aspect of it, and brain health - that mental health stigma is being taken away from it.”
But despite the decline in overall shootings in Maricopa County, deadly police shootings increased. According to The Arizona Republic, there were 28 fatal shootings in 2023 compared to 25 the previous year, with Black and Hispanic people being disproportionately shot.
"There's still concern about excessive force and deadly force used by police in Arizona and particularly the city of Phoenix police, so we want to work together so we can reduce this,” said Dr. Warren Stewart Sr., community leader and senior pastor at the 1st Institutional Baptist Church.
This comes as the Phoenix Police Department braces for the Department of Justice to release its findings from its two-year-long investigation looking into excessive use of force, retaliating against protesters and respecting the rights of the homeless population — something Dr. Stewart Sr. told ABC15 he’s excited to see.
“I think it’s important that we hear what their findings are and that we adjust ourselves, the Phoenix Police adjust itself, so it will come in line with being a just police force - that’s all we want,” he said.
The DOJ report is expected to be released any day now.
