DOJ ends Phoenix police probe after policy overhaul
The Trump Administration previously mulled dismissing all civil rights investigations through the U.S. Department of Justice.
PHOENIX — The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it will be closing its investigation into the Phoenix Police Department and retracting its previous findings of constitutional violations.
The department had been under federal scrutiny since last summer, when the Biden Administration’s DOJ released a report alleging a pattern of excessive force, discrimination against minorities, and violations of First Amendment rights.
RELATED: Justice Department moves to cancel police reform settlements reached with Minneapolis and Louisville
The department has since overhauled its internal policies and training procedures to become what Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton calls a “self-assessing and self-correcting organization.”
Memos obtained by the Associated Press previously told the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division not to file any new complaints and to freeze or reconsider current cases, like those involving police in Louisville and Minneapolis.
Previously, the DOJ had been pushing for Phoenix police to enter a consent decree and accept federal court oversight — similar to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office following rulings against former Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Those efforts appear to have to an immediate halt. What comes next for Phoenix Police Department policies remains to be seen.
Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-14) said in part, “Today’s announcement is complete vindication and will remove the handcuffs off our law enforcement so that they may do their jobs to keep the City of Phoenix and our citizens safe from criminals seeking to cause harm.”
The DOJ is closing investigations into the following local police departments:
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Trenton, New Jersey
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Mount Vernon, New York
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Louisiana State Police
Lawsuits against the Louisville, Kentucky and Minneapolis, Minnesota police departments are also being dismissed.
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