XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.law-enforcement, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.politics.usa   
   From: busted.katie.hobbs@azcentral.com   
      
   Phoenix police engaged in a pattern of misconduct that violated the civil   
   rights of the city's residents, including unjustified deadly force, the US   
   justice department has said.   
      
   In a scathing report, the federal agency detailed cases of excessive force   
   and discrimination against black, Hispanic and Native American residents.   
   Officers also unlawfully detained, ticketed and arrested homeless people,   
   according to the allegations.   
   But a top police union official called the investigation "illogical".   
   The Phoenix Police Department, meanwhile, said they were analysing the   
   report.   
   They said they were committed to "continuous improvement by enhancing   
   policy, accountability and training" in the nation's fifth-largest city.   
   Thursday's justice department findings are a culmination of a nearly three-   
   year investigation by the agency into abuse allegations dating from 2016.   
   "This behaviour includes improper use of Tasers, projectiles, leg   
   restraints, police dogs and even deadly force, including guns and neck   
   restraints and compression restraints," said Assistant Attorney General   
   Kristen Clarke.   
   "Officers also routinely delay medical aid and employ excessive force on   
   wounded people."   
   The findings "reveal evidence showing long-standing dysfunction" that   
   "reflect a lack of effective supervision, training and accountability", she   
   said.   
   The report contains a number of allegations:   
   Officers noticed a man throwing rocks at their vehicle as they passed. They   
   drove back and approached him with guns drawn. When he went to throw a rock   
   at them, they shot him four times and killed him.   
   Officers opened fire on a woman, who appeared suicidal and had pulled a gun,   
   shooting her 10 times. They waited "more than nine minutes" to attend to her   
   despite her being "immobile on the ground". She later died.   
   Officers shot a man, then fired multiple rounds at him with a "less-lethal   
   projectile launcher", and sent a police dog to drag him to them. They did   
   not render aid for more than nine minutes.   
   After shooting an armed man, officers continued to shoot him with stunbag   
   rounds despite him not trying to get up or retrieve his weapon. A supervisor   
   said there was "no rush" to provide CPR. His heart had stopped when they   
   approached him 15 minutes later and he was pronounced dead.   
   A suicidal man sitting alone in a car park was approached by officers who   
   pulled him from his car and pushed him to the pavement. One of the officers   
   knelt on the back of his neck, while others held him down. One officer fired   
   a Taser at the man.   
   A local officers' union, the Phoenix Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 2, said   
   the report was misleading.   
   Lou Manganiello, president of the association, said the findings were "full   
   of half-truths, unsubstantiated accusations, and haphazard, illogical   
   conclusions".   
   The justice department report also found Phoenix police unlawfully detained,   
   cited and arrested homeless people and unlawfully disposed of their   
   belongings.   
   Between 2016-22, 37% of Phoenix police arrests were homeless people, the   
   report found.   
   The justice department also accused Phoenix police of firing their guns at   
   people who did not pose an immediate threat as well as putting themselves in   
   situations of "tactical disadvantage" that substantially increased the   
   likelihood they would fire their weapons.   
   Phoenix police told officers to be "proactive" with projectiles and took the   
   weapons away from officers who did not use them enough, the report found.   
   So far this year, there have been eight fatal police shootings by Phoenix   
   police - all of which have involved people who were armed, the police   
   department told the Arizona Republic.   
   Ms Clarke said on Tuesday that the justice department will work with Phoenix   
   officials to find a "mutually acceptable" path forward.   
   “We are taking all allegations seriously and are planning to review this   
   lengthy report with an open mind," said city manager Jeff Barton in a   
   statement.   
   The justice department has launched 11 investigations into law enforcement   
   agencies around the country since 2021.   
   That includes Louisville, Kentucky, where police shot and killed Breonna   
   Taylor, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where George Floyd was killed while   
   being detained by police.   
   In both of those investigations, the justice department found wrongdoing on   
   the part of the respective police departments, including civil rights   
   violations and use of excessive force.   
      
   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8vvl675nm0o   
      
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