The interim Phoenix police chief said his new department policy that foundationally changes when officers can resort to violence or physical force is set to go live by the end of January.
Chief Michael Sullivan’s standard to only shoot at suspects when it’s truly essential is higher than the constitutional minimum.
He gave a brief progress overview to the city council on Tuesday in the first of what will be years of quarterly updates on public safety reforms.
“More than 2,500 sworn personnel are trained right now and everyone in an enforcement position will complete this training by the end of the month,” Sullivan said.
The city’s Civil Service Board recently denied an appeal by an officer who was fired by Sullivan over a 2022 fatal shooting that led to a multimillion dollar payout.
Federal investigators said this year that poor officer accountability contributes to a pattern of Phoenix police violating constitutional rights.
Sullivan told the city council the Professional Standards Bureau, or PSB, will start monitoring officer compliance with new policy on when they can use violence by the end of the month.
“We’re also updating the PSB manual to make sure all use-of-force investigations fully explored whether an officer considered de-escalation strategies and tactics during the incident,” he said.
Sullivan said also that in the future, people who submit complaints against officers will get a written response from PSB explaining the findings of an investigation.
