26 June 2019

Breakdown in Control-In-Command > The Blue Wall Cracks Under Pressure >The Community Will Pay

Sworn to 'Protect & Serve The Public' the excessive use-of-force tactics employed by newly-trained and heavily-armed forces in police departments across the nation has created a track-record of lawsuits amounting to millions in damages against the cities that employ them to enforce "public safety." They're out-of-control.
It's controversial, even when cities like Mesa and Phoenix admit a history of discrimination, bias and prejudice opting to boost public confidence in 21st Century Policing and fix-the-problem by appointing minority candidates as Police Chiefs. The result: both revolts in the ranks and public outrage, especially when the emerging Police State is self-appointed to do "internal investigations" that last for months and years - investigating itself, refusing to release videos or releasing edited videos or hiring "outside attorneys' for cover. In the meantime they can't comment due to ongoing litigations. However, in so many cases videos recorded by bystanders tell a totally different story, even when police body cams are turned-off.
Thanks to a report yesterday in the Arizona Mirror, we learned a little more . . .
Jeri Williams Police ChiefPhoenix police chief no stranger to controversy
by Jarold Macdonald-Evoy
"The Phoenix Police Department has been fending off controversy after controversy the past few months, but that’s nothing new to its chief.
Chief Jeri Williams came back to Phoenix in 2016 from California, where she ran the Oxnard Police Department for about five years. The department has about 225 regular officers, far fewer than the roughly 2,900 sworn officers in Phoenix
Despite its small size, it wasn’t free from controversy such as police shootings, something that has been a source of frequent criticism of the Phoenix Police Department during Williams’ tenure. An Arizona Republic analysis found that Phoenix police shoot people at a higher rate than anywhere else in the country. 
During her time in Oxnard the department settled out of court for millions of dollars over a number of high-profile deaths. . . Williams’ department now faces two high-profile lawsuits, both seeking settlements in the tens of millions of dollars. "
Go deeper > https://www.azmirror.com

Insightful. Investigative. Independent.


HOMEPAGE > https://www.azmirror.com/
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About the reporter:
Reporter Jerod MacDonald-Evoy joins the Arizona Mirror from the Arizona Republic, where he spent 4 years covering everything from dark money in politics to Catholic priest sexual abuse scandals. Jerod has also won awards for his documentary films which have covered issues such as religious tolerance and surveillance technology used by police.
He brings strong watchdog sensibilities and creative storytelling skills to the Arizona Mirror.
Amplifying the voices of Arizonans whose stories are unheard; shining a light on the relationships between people, power and policy; and holding public officials to account.