Justice Department opens civil rights investigation into Phoenix Police Department

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department to determine whether police in the city have a pattern or practice of violating residents' Constitutional rights. 

The probe will assess the department's use of force incidents and determine whether officers engage in discriminatory policing, retaliate against people engaged in First Amendment-protected activity and unlawfully seize or dispose of items belonging to people experiencing homelessness. It will also examine the city and the department's practices for responding to people with disabilities. The city's police department has faced criticism over its handling of protests and over police shootings, including in 2018 when a report found the city had the most officer-involved shootings in the country (44), which was more than double the city's numbers in 2017.