PHOENIX — The Department of Justice has frozen all police reform actions across the country under President Trump's administration, including the potential federal oversight of the Phoenix Police Department that seemed imminent just a year ago.
The DOJ released a damning report on Phoenix PD last year, with federal officials making it clear at the time that the department needed federal oversight.
"This is one instance where police can't be trusted to police themselves," said Kristen Clarke from the DOJ when the report was released.
However, Phoenix officials resisted the oversight and delayed action until after the presidential election.
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Experts predicted this outcome before the election. Christy Lopez, a former DOJ official, said, "I would expect that would see the pattern and practice section basically shut down. At least in terms of new investigations and consent decrees. I hope I'm wrong, but that's what I would expect."
Jenn Borchetta from the ACLU shared a similar prediction: "I think that we can expect, based on the first Trump administration's approach to police misconduct investigations, that DOJ is likely to step back from advancing the investigation in Phoenix."
Those predictions have proven accurate. Trump's DOJ almost immediately froze all police reform actions nationwide after taking office. According to city officials, there has been no movement on the Phoenix investigation since the administration change.
At the state level, Senate President Warren Petersen has asked the DOJ to completely rescind the report on the Phoenix Police Department.
"Reversing the damage would be huge for the city and police department," Petersen said in a PR video.
Despite the DOJ potentially abandoning its oversight efforts, the report's findings will continue to have legal implications. Judges have already allowed the DOJ report to be used as evidence in lawsuits against Phoenix police.
"The Department of Justice is going to be controlled by Donald Trump, but civil rights lawyers will not be. So it's foolish to think that lawyers are not going to take this evidence and do something with it," Borchetta said.
Lopez explained the potential legal ramifications: "There is absolutely the possibility for either a class action or individual plaintiffs to bring lawsuits against the Phoenix Police Department – one lawsuit or a hundred lawsuits regarding the incidents outlined in the DOJ report. That's one way to try to achieve reform."
When asked for comment, the DOJ told ABC15 they don't have any update to provide on the case.
