The Justice Department’s accountability system has mixed reviews
A protest in Phoenix in June 2020
In January, a woman in Phoenix, Ariz., heard someone calling for help outside her home. Geneva Patterson went outside and saw two police officers hitting a homeless man camped in an alley. She filmed the incident and sent the video to state Rep. Diego Rodriguez, who demanded answers from the mayor and police chief.
Police said they received reports of a suspicious person and found the man had several warrants out for his arrest. They said he resisted arrest, and so they used strikes and a stun gun to subdue him. This incident was not the first to cast the Phoenix Police Department in a negative light. Earlier this year, a local news station investigated the department’s response to protests in 2017 and reported accusations that officers glorified the use of violence against protesters. The report also detailed how officials planned to charge protesters with operating as a street gang, a decision critics said was an abuse of the law.
On Aug. 5, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department was opening a “pattern or practice investigation” into the Phoenix Police Department. Garland said the DOJ would investigate five areas: excessive use of force, discriminatory practices, retaliation against protesters, violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and violations of the rights of homeless people. “These investigations aim to promote...
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