The Justice Department under the Trump administration is closing its investigation of the city of Phoenix and its police department over alleged constitutional violations, it announced May 21.
The agency’s three-year civil rights investigation into policing in Phoenix concluded in June with the release of a 126-page report that said officers routinely engaged in unlawful brutality and discrimination and violated the rights of protesters and unhoused people. The Justice Department launched the Phoenix investigation after a series of high-profile shootings by police and aggressive treatment of protesters that drew national scrutiny.
Phoenix police officials were not contacted by the Justice Department about its decision, police spokesperson Donna Rossi said. They learned about it at the same time as everyone else through its announcement, she said. City officials had also not heard from the justice department, according to city spokesperson Dan Wilson.
After the report’s release, federal investigators under former President Joe Biden’s administration vigorously pursued oversight through a court-enforceable contract — known as a consent decree — overseen by an outside monitor. The Phoenix City Council, including Mayor Kate Gallego, opposed such oversight.
Phoenix officials have long maintained the city can reform its Police Department without help.
The DOJ will also retract the Biden administration findings into the alleged civil rights violations. The move is part of a widespread plan to dismiss lawsuits and end investigations in multiple U.S cities.
Republic reporter Taylor Seeley contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: DOJ to end civil rights investigation of Phoenix and its Police Department
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