The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) released redacted documents this week that show the DOJ left out relevant information to the incidents discussed in a June DOJ report critical of the agency.
Based on the descriptions, PPD was able to discern 120 of the 132 incidents. PPD said it provided roughly 179,000 documents and 22,000 body cam videos to the DOJ during its investigation. The types of incidents covered were the use of force, homelessness, discriminatory policing, protected speech, behavioral health youth, and contributing causes.
Many of the incidents criticized officers’ behavior but often failed to reveal that the same officer was responsible for them. Law enforcement leaders often point out that when an officer commits serious misbehavior, it is a rogue officer and not representative of the entire agency.
Many incidents were thoroughly investigated, and disciplinary actions were taken, but the report failed to mention most of the disciplinary actions. Some of the descriptions by the DOJ contradicted the reports from PPD.
In an incident labeled D02, the DOJ reported that an officer held a black family, including a pregnant mother, at gunpoint because their 4-year-old daughter stole a doll. The incident made national headlines and the family filed a lawsuit, resulting in a $475,000 settlement. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and then-Chief of Police Jeri Wiliams, who is black, issued public policies and held a town hall addressing systemic racism.
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