Denice Garcia’s son died in 2020, after being shot by Phoenix police, while in a car outside of her home in Maryvale.
Inside his old bedroom are bunk beds where his kids now sleep when they stay the night.
“The only thing I really kept intact were James’ things up here,” she said. “What do you call those robot things?”
Vintage Transformers and "Star Wars" Lego figurines decorate James’ desk.
Even when her grandkids aren’t visiting, Garcia goes in the room a lot.
“I try to organize. I have some of his clothes in here. I know that’s not real healthy. But it’s where I’m at, still,” she said.
Despite not being an attorney, Garcia has represented herself in a federal lawsuit against Phoenix and several officers.
Her son’s death is cited by the U.S. Department of Justice as an example of Phoenix police exposing themselves to avoidable situations and increasing the risk for officer-involved shootings.
“I would love to see them hold Phoenix PD accountable in every way they can,” said Garcia.
The DOJ says Phoenix spent more than $40 million between 2016 and 2023 to settle claims and lawsuits against police.
“I would love to see them hold Phoenix PD accountable in every way they can."Denice Garcia, whose son, James, was fatally shot by police in 2020
Civil rights investigators say poor officer accountability, policies, training and supervision contribute to a pattern of Phoenix police violating constitutional rights.
City officials say department leadership launched a sweeping transformation of internal systems about a year ago.
The DOJ says the Phoenix Police Department’s own accountability system is ineffective. Many of the incidents cited in their report involved officers doing what they had been trained to do.
“Accountability is a key factor in trust. It's a key factor in trust with the community. It's a key factor in trust with elected leadership. And it should be a key factor in thinking about trust for the Police Department,” said Jeremy Helfgot, who serves on Phoenix police boards as a civilian.
A decade of work on local law enforcement issues led to Helfgot being described as respected by reform advocates and police.
“I think there's a degree of severity reflected in this report. And also a degree of stagnation where change is concerned,” said Helfgot.
The DOJ says that Phoenix police supervisors deemed over 98% of force incidents in 2021 and '22 as within policy. But investigators found that Phoenix police used unreasonable violence in a significant number of them.
Helfgot said the DOJ exposed a need for more internal accountability of Phoenix police through a high-level look at systemic problems.
“And it begs the question of how deep we have to go to root those problems out,” said Helfgot.
In the last year, Phoenix police launched an Organizational Integrity Bureau to oversee assessments and reforms.
One change is to transition internal boards like disciplinary into a performance review model so members can identify patterns and recommend immediate changes.
A request by KJZZ News to interview the bureau’s commander was denied.
“I think there's a degree of severity reflected in this report. And also a degree of stagnation where change is concerned."Jeremy Helfgot, who serves on Phoenix police boards as a civilian
Separately, city officials say that an office created to do independent oversight of police is in line with reform recommendations the DOJ made in other cities.
“I know this Police Department. I know where information is in this Police Department. I know the way this department works. I understand the policies and procedures that are in place. I understand their backstory, where they've been, where they've come from,” said Shannon Johanni, interim director of the Office of Accountability and Transparency.
Johanni took the job after her predecessor suddenly resigned early in the year.
State lawmakers upended the city’s plans for civilian oversight. So Johanni’s office does mediations and audits internal investigations. She still sees progress by Phoenix police.
“We're 11 reports in. The department has agreed with almost every recommendation that we've made, and we've seen changes,” said Johanni.
The office Johanni leads was established before the DOJ came to Phoenix. She says the report investigators produced gives local leaders a lot to consider.
“It marks, really, a turning point for the city and the department,” said Johanni.
Back in Maryvale, Denice Garcia waits to hear if an appellate court will revive her lawsuit against Phoenix over police having killed her son.
The DOJ released findings in June, right after a judge dismissed the last defendants in Garcia’s case.
She filed the DOJ review as evidence anyway.
“And so God willing, if the Ninth Circuit allows me to appeal it, they will have access to that report,” said Garcia.
Phoenix police investigated the shooting of James Garcia and determined that what happened was within policy.
“They are the ones who are responsible for my son's death. All they had to do was walk away,” said Garcia.
The Phoenix City Council is scheduled to talk on Sept. 24 about police accountability, homelessness and concerns raised by the Justice Department.
Whether officials choose court-monitored oversight of Phoenix police or a legal battle with the DOJ remains to be seen.
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Our "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. This time, KJZZ News focuses on the finding that Phoenix police don't change their approach when dealing with children. -
KJZZ's "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. This report focuses on the finding by the DOJ that Phoenix police unlawfully restrict free speech. -
Our "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. This time, KJZZ News examines the finding that the city of Phoenix and its police discriminate against people with mental illnesses. -
KJZZ's "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. This report focuses on the DOJ finding that police discriminated against Black, Hispanic and Native American people when enforcing the law. -
KJZZ's "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. This report focuses on homelessness. -
KJZZ's "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. KJZZ News has divided the findings on use of force into deadly and less lethal. This report focuses on the latter. -
Our "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. KJZZ News has divided the findings on use of force into deadly and less lethal. This report focuses on fatal police shootings.
