| Phoenix, Arizona July 27. 2024 12:25PM. Last month, there was a live news broadcast on local television news stations in the Phoenix Metro area, and Merrick Garland’s colleagues were at the front and center of it all. The United States Department of Justice came to Phoenix Arizona in the summer of 2021. Their mission was to peek into the Phoenix Police Department to determine if there were any civil rights violations, and lawful infractions committed by the department in the Phoenix metro community. Phoenix, the 5th largest metropolitan in the country has a police force of about 2500, and that’s just police officers. They constantly police over 516 square miles in the city of Phoenix with a total population a little over a million and a half. On June 13 of this year after nearly three years of investigating Phoenix’s finest and highly budgeted police force, who is set to have a 2024-2025 fiscal budget close to a billion dollars, the DOJ released their findings to the public. Long story short, civil rights were infringed upon on more than several occasions, deadly force was used in several incidents when deemed unnecessary and unavoidable, and racial profiling was rampant in the black and brown by a whopping 144% more likely to be arrested or cited in traffic violations. The homeless were reportedly targeted, from 2016 to 2022 it was found that 34% of all arrest in Phoenix were or did experience some type of homelessness. The DOJ has said that this was the worst case of misused police power they have ever found in as many years. In the Arizona Mirror, a local digital news source, has said that the police department was “unaware” of how significant the racial disparities were, and it was longstanding of their policing and practicing efforts. The population in Phoenix is still on the rise, Californians are arriving almost daily for a cheaper and fresher scene and being only a four-hour drive away, no wonder it’s moving in that direction. Skyscrapers and high-rise apartments are being constructed almost every other month in downtown Phoenix, which is the home of Phoenix’s police precinct as well. “I just hope they actually find time to fix the problem, and engage in better community practices” says Anshula Kulkarni, a soon-to-be downtown local residence in one of the newer apartments just opening. “Downtown has grown a lot in the last five years, and the vibe seems to be totally different, but it is very concerning about the recent findings and scary to hear how serious it was”. The question now is, what is next for America’s fifth largest local police force? Will the public see a difference in police policies and tactics, and if so, will it gain the trust needed to bridge the trust gap with the community? When asking a officer with the Phoenix Police Department if plans are already in place for positive changes after the recent findings by the DOJ, he simply replied “Not in a position to discuss that with you, sorry” |
A Phoenix Police Helicopter is seen patrolling the skies and areas near Downtown Phoenix. Images by Anthony Richardson
An American flag flys in downtown Phoenix near Phoenix Police Headquarters. Images by Anthony Richardson
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