Justice Department announces results of its investigation into Phoenix Police Department

While other jurisdictions recently responded to similar investigations by pledging to cooperate with federal oversight, officials in Phoenix had publicly questioned the Justice Department’s investigation and raised the possibility that they might refuse to acknowledge its findings. If they do, it could lead to a legal battle in which the Justice Department will seek an order in court placing the local agency under federal oversight. This would open a new, contentious front in the public debate over police reform and accountability.

The Justice Department began its comprehensive investigation into the Phoenix Police Department in August 2021, shortly after launching similar investigations into police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville.

These investigations, known as “pattern or practice” investigations, scrutinize local police departments, examining their training protocols, use-of-force policies, accountability structures and other elements. The findings generally result in court-approved agreements, called consent decrees, that outline a variety of specific actions and changes that local leaders must implement under the supervision of a federal official.

These agreements can drag on for years and cost local jurisdictions millions of dollars.

Investigations into the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments were completed last year. In both cases, the Justice Department found that the authorities used excessive force and acted improperly. Those findings were announced at press conferences where Attorney General Merrick Garland, local politicians and officials accepted the reports and promised to negotiate plans for federal oversight.

The results of the Phoenix investigation, however, were announced by Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who heads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in a virtual briefing.

Phoenix officials had previously expressed anger over the Justice Department’s investigation. One of their lawyers wrote in a letter in January that the city’s police force had “made changes that demonstrate a strong commitment to reform” and did not require court-enforced federal oversight.

David Nakamura contributed to this report.