A brief recap of a press release given in August City Manager Ed Zuercher and Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.
Jeri Williams, Phoenix police chief, responded to the Department of Justice investigation into the Phoenix Police Department with optimism and hope for improvement.
On Aug. 5, the DOJ announced an investigation into Phoenix PD regarding the patterns and practices of the department, including the use of deadly force.
“The Department of Justice inquiry is another opportunity to further improve the department and to better serve our city,” Williams said, at an August press conference.
According to the Justice Department press release, the investigation will include looking into discriminatory policing, police responses to people with disabilities, and whether or not the department “unlawfully seizes or disposes of the belongings of individuals experiencing homelessness.”
The investigation will be a little over a year long, according to Williams.
“They’re going to make intermittent trips with Phoenix,” Williams said. “They’re going to talk to community members; they’re going to speak with and talk to our command team; they’re going to ask for policies, procedures, and practices. What the report looks like in the end, none of u swill know until we get it.”
According to the DOJ press release, the Phoenix PD practices will be evaluated under “the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, as well as under the Safe Streets Act of 1968; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
The Phoenix PD has been working to improve its practices and policies since the summer of 2020 by adhering to all of the elements, both mandatory and discretionary, of the Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities.
“Under the direction of Mayor Kate Gallego, we met all of the requirements for the national referendum ‘8 Can’t Wait’ campaign,” Williams said.
This campaign, according to the 8 Can’t Wait website, is meant to reduce police killings and adopt a more restrictive deadly force standard nationwide.
The eight policies include: banning chokeholds or strangleholds, requiring deescalation, requiring warning before shooting, requiring officers to exhaust all alternatives before shooting, requiring officers to intervene and stop excessive force by other officers, ban shooting at moving vehicles, establishing and requiring a force continuum, and requiring comprehensive reporting each time force is used.
Ed Zuercher, Phoenix city manager, noted previous and ongoing efforts to improve the Phoenix PD.
“Under the direction of the City Council and the mayor, we have sought out independent assessments of the Phoenix Police Department over the last several years, including a comprehensive report by the National Police Foundation in 2019 and the assessment that’s currently underway by our independent contracted agent 21CP Solutions into department training and tactics,” Zuercher said.
Williams has 32 years of law enforcement experience, and has been Phoenix police chief since 2016. Prior to that, she was police chief for Oxnard, California for nearly six years after having spent 22 years with the Phoenix PD.
“Wearing this badge is a privilege, not a right,” Williams said, “We’re looking forward to seeing what we are doing right; we’re also looking forward to what we can improve on...Public trust is essential for effective policing, and accountability is a big component of that trust.”
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