PHOENIX — The Department of Justice is closing its civil rights investigation into Phoenix police and retracting findings that a 'pattern or practice' of constitutional violations existed.
The DOJ made the announcement Wednesday, and Phoenix PD was among six departments included in the list of investigations that will be ended.
"It's just so disheartening," said David Saccoccio, who suffered a broken arm when a police projectile hit him during a protest. "We have these rights, constitutional rights, but when do they get upheld?"
ABC15's Dave Biscobing and Melissa Blasius sat down to discuss the DOJ's probe into the Phoenix Police Department and latest move by the DOJ close their probe. Watch on your TV with the ABC15 streaming app or in the player below.
ABC15 reported last month that the DOJ froze all police reform actions across the country under President Trump's administration, including the potential federal oversight of the Phoenix Police Department that seemed imminent just a year ago.
"We will continue to do what we can do to the best of our ability and keep our voices and opinions out there just for us, and the victims, and our community," said Lily Cocreham, who settled a lawsuit against Phoenix police after the 2020 officer-involved shooting that killed both her sons.
The DOJ had opened its investigation in 2021 to look into five areas of concern: use-of-force, protecting First Amendment rights, policing people experiencing homelessness, racial discrimination, and treatment of people with mental or behavioral health problems.
In June 2024, the Justice Department released its scathing assessment of Phoenix police. At the time, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said the findings were “historic” and “severe” and prove the department has a pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing and is incapable of policing itself.
In a special series of stories, the ABC15 Investigators broke down the U.S. Department of Justice’s “historic” report on the Phoenix Police Department. Watch more from that breakdown in the player below.
After the report was released, Phoenix city leaders rebuffed the DOJ's efforts to enter into a consent decree, a binding series of police reforms supervised by an independent monitor.
Instead, Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council adopted their own series of reforms aimed to increase accountability and transparency within the police department. Those measures built on the changes adopted by former Police Chief Michael Sullivan and the city manager’s office.
“We will continue to look for every opportunity to make sure we’re serving our residents in the best way possible,” Gallego said. “I said many times that we would adopt reforms and see them through, regardless of the DOJ investigation, and I meant it.”
"Quitting is not an option," said Denice Garcia, whose son, James, was fatally shot by Phoenix officers in 2020. "I will continue to do what I signed up for, which is a fight for justice, expose the wrongdoing, and hopefully we’ll see a difference."
At the state level, Senate President Warren Petersen previously asked the DOJ to completely rescind the report on the Phoenix Police Department.
The investigation into the department was spearheaded in part by ABC15's investigations into the department's actions following multiple events involving police, including officer-involved shootings and use of force during protests in the city.
For full coverage of the DOJ report into Phoenix police, click here.
Take a look at the interactive timeline of events surrounding the Department of Justice's inquiry and report into the Phoenix Police Department below.
