The Phoenix Police Department has ushered in a reformative era with the rolling out of its latest "Use of Force" policy, honed to better define when and how officers can exercise force during confrontations. As reported by the City of Phoenix official newsroom, Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan voiced the intention behind the policy overhaul, acknowledging that establishing trust with the community commences at redefining the policy's groundwork.
"The first thing I began looking at after taking this job in Phoenix was the need to revise our use of force policy, because it is the basis for building trust with the community," said Sullivan, emphasizing the root of the policy's overhaul is in transparency and forging community trust. The policy dictates that Phoenix Police staff "shall use only the force that is objectively reasonable, necessary, and proportional to effectively and safely resolve and incident," as per a report by the City of Phoenix. Notably, the policy's criteria supersede the benchmarks established by the landmark Graham v. Connor U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1989, laying down more stringent constraints.
This legislative shift is not merely a nominal tweak; it adds significant stipulations to the existing definition of "reasonable" force by injecting the crucial qualifiers of "necessary" and "proportional." Embracing the input from various city stakeholders, including community outfits, labor unions, legal authorities, and city leaders, the policy materialized through years of collective deliberation. According to Sullivan, the feedback loop continued with the policy's initial draft shared on the city website in January 2023, followed by a social media push inviting the community's voice, gathering over 800 comments.
The policy's inception, as penned by the Continuous Improvement Unit (CIU) within the police department, was bolstered by insights from several sergeants and detectives who examined policies nationwide. Aided in their mission by Sullivan's executive team and external consultants, the unit absorbed feedback during successive 20-hour training courses attended by both sworn and non-sworn enforcement officers over a year, culminating in a revisited policy video in early February. "This process underscores our commitment to transparency and c ontinuous i mprovement. The work here is never complete, and additional reviews of this, and other policies will be ongoing because that’s what the community and our officers deserve," Sullivan told the City of Phoenix's newsroom.
Anchored in public accountability, the Phoenix Police Department elucidates its redefined Use of Force ethos across eight detailed policies, which include guidelines right from force options, reporting, standards of public trust, duty to intervene, prohibition of retaliation, to disciplinary protocols. Each policy is accessible via links provided in the official announcement, ensuring that the police department's practices remain an open book to the very populace they vow to serve and protect.
