PHOENIX — It’s been nearly two years since the Department of Justice opened a wide-ranging investigation into the Phoenix Police Department.
So far, the City of Phoenix has spent about $5 million related to the DOJ’s investigation, according to a city spokesperson.
In addition to money spent, thousands of body camera videos and documents have been sent to the DOJ.
Along with going through documents, videos and site visits, the DOJ has also interviewed community members.
“I’ve represented clients who have actually sat down and spoken to the Department of Justice,” Attorney Benjamin Taylor said. “And they're here to listen to the concerns of various people in the community who felt they've been harmed by the Phoenix Police Department.”
The investigation is looking into the department’s use of force, retaliatory activity against protestors and officers’ treatment of the homeless population, among other issues.
“I think it's been discouraging, the sort of response from the Phoenix Police Department in particular,” Jared Keenan, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona said. “They seem to have not changed generally - like the way they conduct themselves.”
Over the past two years, the department has gone through some changes.
Former Chief Jeri Williams retired in 2022 and was replaced with Interim Chief Michael Sullivan.
City Manager Jeff Barton had said previously Sullivan was brought in for his experience with DOJ investigations in his previous position in Baltimore.
Phoenix Police Department’s use of force policy has also been updated. While sworn officer vacancies have grown from 400 in February 2022 to 560 in May of 2023.
Keenan believes that significant change hasn’t come to the department.
“They were very easy changes to make,” Keenan said. “The use of force policy that directly now informs officers that they shouldn’t be doing a lot of the things that they had done for years, like should have happened years ago.”
12News is scheduled to speak one-on-one with Chief Sullivan Friday regarding the DOJ’s investigation.
But, a timeline for findings from the DOJ isn’t clear.
In city documents, staff reported to Phoenix City Council that DOJ investigations have historically taken anywhere from nine to 38 months.
Taylor notes, given Phoenix and its police department’s size, it can take longer to investigate.
“There’s been so many incidents, so many complaints,” Taylor said. “That’s why it’s taken a lot longer than a smaller city. You have more complaints, that’s more investigation.”
What is also still unclear is if the changes the community has called for will come.
“The change to the Phoenix Police Department is not going to come with a simple solution, right? Just because of a DOJ investigation, just because of their findings and report,” Keenan said. “It takes, you know, structural change and change within the system.”
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