The Phoenix Police Department has pledged to make several changes in response to criticisms from the city’s Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT). Among the agreed-upon reforms is mandatory de-escalation training for all officers and a policy change expecting full-scale Professional Standards Bureau Investigations for future alleged excessive force cases. These actions come on the heels of OAT's findings, which pointed out what it deemed as mishandlings in two separate incidents by Phoenix police officers.
One such incident, involving a Wall Street Journal reporter being handcuffed and searched while reporting on a story at a Chase Bank, had the OAT calling for the officer's suspension, and suggesting he should even possibly be demoted. Instead, the officer was required to only undergo four hours of training, of which just half was completed. Phoenix Police have since committed, according to an azfamily report, to additional refresher training on searches and seizures for the officer involved.
In another case, a video captured a Phoenix officer repeatedly punching a man during an altercation following a stolen vehicle call. The police defended the officer's actions, noting the suspect's refusal to comply and alleged aggression. However, the OAT called for changes, which the police department has now agreed to implement.
While these changes mark a step toward increased accountability, the OAT itself has recently faced challenges, struggling to maintain its purported independence. The agency's former director, Roger Smith, resigned in February, citing interference from city officials that he claimed undermined the OAT's ability to effectively perform its duties. Smith alleged in an interview with Phoenix New Times that the City Manager’s Office and the Law Department notably opposed civilian oversight. Moreover, documents suggest there were orchestrated efforts to prevent the hiring of Catherine Bowman, a lawyer with extensive experience in policing issues, as Smith's deputy.
Phoenix's struggle with police oversight comes against the backdrop of a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into the police department's practices. The city's actions indicate a resistance to external scrutiny, as exemplified by its failure to challenge a new state law limiting civilian investigations of police. This has left OAT with the role of merely making recommendations on internal police investigations, a significant downshift from the mandate with which it was created. The Phoenix Police Department has yet to sign a consent decree with the Justice Department, despite escalating concerns over its use of force and handling of protests.
