Phoenix police officers have orders redefining when they may use violence or physical force.
The policy taking effect is a win for interim Chief Michael Sullivan as union membership opposes his bid for the permanent role. Sullivan launched the policy rewrite shortly after becoming acting chief in 2022.
The final order says violence or physical force is allowed only when objective, reasonable, necessary and proportional given everything known to the officer at the moment.
What’s seen as appropriate is often subjective, says Darrell Kriplean, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association.
“So it depends on the reader, depends on who is reviewing the incident whether they believe it is proportional or not,” he said.
The group led by Kriplean is the largest union of rank and file officers.
Most members who took part in a recent survey said the department is headed in the wrong direction under Sullivan’s leadership.
Use of tactics to avoid force is a core principle of the new use of force policy.
Kriplean said whether officers properly use these tools is now subject to review.
“And there is a potential for you to be disciplined for failing to deescalate even if the force used is found to be appropriate and within policy,” he said.
Kriplean also said the new policy contains ambiguous language that can get officers hurt for questioning themselves.
