Police unions in Phoenix, Arizona, call Justice Department report a “smear campaign”

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – Two major police unions on Thursday issued swift and sharp criticism of the Justice Department report that found Phoenix police violated the civil rights of minorities and the homeless and used excessive force.

Darrell Kriplean, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, which represents about 2,200 officers, said he was frustrated that the Justice Department released the 126-page report without allowing Phoenix police to review it.

“This tactic is nothing less than an irresponsible and unprofessional smear campaign against the men and women who have continued to courageously serve the community despite the dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric of political activists and the violent attacks of criminals,” Kriplean said.

Federal investigators said homeless people accounted for 37% of arrests between 2016 and March 2022, even though they make up less than 1% of the city’s population. In addition, police enforced certain laws more strictly on blacks, Native Americans and Hispanics than on whites.

Kriplean said the department has already initiated or implemented comprehensive reforms, including a new policy on dealing with excessive force last year.

“The Department of Justice is not interested in improving local police departments and the communities they serve,” he said. “This action shows that it is only interested in using settlements to take control of local police away from the communities they serve.”

The report did not mention whether the administration would push Phoenix police into a court-enforced reform plan, known as a “consent decree,” which Kriplean said could take 10 years and cost the police nine figures.

“I think settlements serve to enrich the monitors because they are essentially paid to make decisions that they can make with the support of the Department of Justice,” Kriplean said.

Joe Clure, executive director of the Arizona Police Association, pointed to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, which has been under the supervision of a federal court-appointed monitor since 2013, and said such monitoring is unnecessary.

Arizona Family Investigations revealed that Warden Robert Warshaw was in Arizona in February for only the second time in four years.

His work cost the MCSO $26 million over ten years.

“The facts are clear. The Justice Department’s settlement decisions are leading to higher crime rates, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted on unnecessary spending, and the decimation of police personnel as qualified, experienced officers move on to other agencies,” Clure said.

According to Kriplean, other cities across the country where settlements have been reached, such as Baltimore, have seen a sharp increase in violent crime.

He said Phoenix police have cooperated with the Justice Department and offered a technical assistance letter that would allow for a different level of oversight between federal agencies and Phoenix police, but that request was rejected.

“The Justice Department didn’t come to a conclusion about the issues to be addressed and how to resolve them. And then they refused every time,” Kriplean said.

He added that the Phoenix Police Department is constantly trying to reform itself.

“It’s still a work in progress, but I think the department itself is moving in the right direction,” Kriplean said.

Do you see a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video to accompany a current news story? Send it here with a short description.

All rights reserved.