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Union: Delayed Phoenix police use-of-force policy would make officers 'second guess' their actions

Phoenix Police Department headquarters in downtown Phoenix
Chad Snow/KJZZ
Phoenix Police Department headquarters in downtown Phoenix

A Phoenix police labor union pushed to delay the launch of a policy, which is now on hold, that would change when officers can fire their gun or use physical force on a suspect.

Darrell Kriplean, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, said suspension is the minimum penalty for force deemed out-of-bounds by the new rules, and officers would have no time to adjust.

“It’s a draconian way of implementing a use-of-force policy,” Kriplean said.

The union opposed federal oversight after civil rights investigators said in June 2024 that Phoenix police are excessively violent.

“This policy is going to create scenarios where these officers are going to second guess, hesitate and potentially end up getting themselves hurt, or having to use a higher level of force on a suspect,” Kriplean said.

Nearly 90% of union members recently surveyed don’t want their group to support Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan’s bid to get the permanent job.

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.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.