The Phoenix Police Department wants your feedback on a draft of a new policy for how officers are to handle protests that are planned or spontaneous.
The request comes after the U.S. Justice Department said Phoenix police retaliate against people exercising the right to free speech with violence and bogus allegations.
The window to comment on the policy draft is open until Oct. 27.
As currently written, Phoenix police would be forbidden from lashing out when demonstrators criticize and record them.
The draft says that spontaneous protests are usually peaceful. It also envisions a specially trained response team to manage volatile and rioting crowds.
Phoenix police would have to try to remove bad actors from demonstrations before declaring an unlawful assembly, and officers would be required to only arrest people suspected of serious crimes.
