Attorney General Merrick Garland and the US Department of Justice will investigate the Phoenix Police Department for civil rights violations.
The US Department of Justice will investigate the city of Phoenix and its law enforcement agency for possible civil rights violations, including searches of homeless camps, in the third such police investigation since President Joe Biden took office.
Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters last week that civil rights investigators will be investigating whether the Phoenix police force is pursuing a pattern or practice of constitutional or federal law violations, such as people with mental health problems and the destruction of the belongings of the homeless .
“Too often we ask law enforcement officers to be the first and last option to address issues that should not be addressed by the criminal justice system,” Garland said at a press conference. “This makes the work of the police more difficult, increases unnecessary confrontations with the law enforcement authorities and hinders public safety.”
The Phoenix investigation follows two others in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, previously announced by Garland in “Patterns or Practices” by law enforcement agencies, reviving an instrument largely abandoned during the Trump administration.
Comments are closed.