The Justice Department opened a “pattern or practice” investigation into the city of Phoenix and its police department, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday.
The Civil Rights Division investigation will take a look at the police department’s use of force policies and examine whether it engages in discriminatory policing, as well as whether its officers engage in retaliatory activity against protesters or unlawfully seize and dispose of the property of homeless people, Garland said.
“The investigation will determine whether the Phoenix Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law,” Garland said in a news conference, adding that its aim is to “promote transparency and accountability.”
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Neither Garland nor Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who also spoke at the press conference, identified specific incidents that sparked the inquiry. but both said the impetus for the investigation was a “review of publicly available information.” Clarke specified that the information reviewed included court filings, media reports, and citizen complaints alleging misconduct.
“We found that the evidence warrants a full investigation, but we approach this process with no predispositions or pre-drawn conclusions,” Clarke said.
The inquiry is at least the third of its kind to be undertaken by the department under Garland, who on April 21 announced an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department after former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd.
Five days later, Garland announced an investigation into both the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department following the death of Breonna Taylor during a police raid on her home in March 2020.
In those announcements, Garland expressed similar motivations about determining whether those departments maintain a pattern of unconstitutional policing practices.
Clarke on Wednesday hailed the department’s past investigations into police departments, saying they have revealed systemic misconduct and its “root causes.”
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The Phoenix investigation will include interviews with officers, department leadership, and community members, as well as reviews of body camera footage and incident reports.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the city of Phoenix for comment on the investigation.
