Phoenix police discriminate, violate civil rights and use excessive force, Justice Department says
CBSJun 20
DOJ: 'Pattern' of Civil Rights Violations in Phoenix Police Department
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The Facts
A report from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) into the police force of Phoenix, Arizona, alleges that the agency has a "pattern or practice" of violating the civil rights of, or using excessive force against, racial minorities and other groups.
The DOJ investigation into the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) began in 2021. In terms of racial discrimination, the DOJ claims that Black and Hispanic motorists were 144% and 40% more likely to be arrested for low-level violations, respectively.
The Spin
Left narrative
The PPD, like many law enforcement agencies around the country, has a pattern of treating the constitutional rights of those around them with contempt. Phoenix police have demonstrated a pattern of excessive force and discrimination, and it is a shame that the federal government needed to intervene before things changed. The police cannot be trusted to police themselves.
Right narrative
Phoenix cooperated extensively with the DOJ and is being rewarded with a potential consent decree, which is the kiss of death for any police department that wants to be effective at fighting crime. It has been 10 years since the DOJ issued a report without a consent decree, which will hand over most of the PPD's power to the federal government. The PPD will be suffocated by federal bureaucracy under this civil rights guise.