Police & jail misconductOversight & ethics enforcementDiscrimination & civil rights

DOJ found Phoenix police used excessive force and discriminated against Black, Hispanic and Indigenous residents, then retracted the findings without requiring reform

Confidence: Confirmed · 5 sourcesCity of Phoenix · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Phoenix Police Department

Kate Gallego, Candidate for Mayor of Phoenix

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Also named

Advocate

ACLU of Arizona

What happened

On June 13, 2024, after a 34-month investigation, DOJ's Civil Rights Division found reasonable cause that the Phoenix Police Department and the City of Phoenix engage in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, unlawfully detaining and citing homeless people, discriminating against Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people, and violating protesters' rights. On May 21, 2025, DOJ closed the investigation and retracted its findings without a consent decree. Mayor Kate Gallego said Phoenix would adopt and see through reforms regardless of the DOJ investigation. In June 2026 the ACLU of Arizona sued the city over a May 2025 public records request for use-of-force reports, saying the department is still withholding them.

Sources (5)

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights DivisionThe Phoenix Police Department and the City of Phoenix engage in a pattern or practice of using excessive force and violating the rights of people engaged in protected speech.

AxiosThe Department of Justice is closing its investigation into Phoenix police and retracting findings made in its multi-year investigation into the department.

ABC15 ArizonaDOJ closes probe, retracts Biden administration findings in Phoenix PD investigation.

ACLUACLU of Arizona sued Phoenix over police refusal to release use-of-force records requested in May 2025.

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public AffairsThe Civil Rights Division is also closing investigations into local police departments in Phoenix, Arizona ... and retracting the findings from those investigations.

Response

Phoenix Police Department

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

Kate Gallego

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Not yet contacted

Not yet contacted for this story.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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