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 . . .
Phoenix police chief no stranger to controversyby 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. "
Insightful. Investigative. Independent.
HOMEPAGE > https://www.azmirror.com/
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About the reporter:
