Phoenix officials say a new system for tracking when police contact people, make arrests and write tickets is now live.
The news was in an update for the City Council Tuesday on efforts to implement sweeping public safety reforms.
The City Council approved dozens of reforms last year in response to Justice Department findings that Phoenix police abuse civil rights.
Investigators said Phoenix didn’t make officers report basic enforcement information that could be searched for signs of discriminatory policing.
Technical Services Director Jody Wolf told council members that the new records management system is a major step forward.
“Previously we could only share raw data which was often limited by inconsistencies in collection and aggregation, making analysis and interpretation difficult if not impossible,” Wolf said
Separately, Phoenix police say they will soon ask the City Council to approve buying an early intervention system to catch officers before they commit misconduct.
The council also heard the reforms are about two-thirds done.
One of the remaining items is how police deal with kids. Leaders called for a policy about a year ago after the Justice Department found that Phoenix police do not account for the vulnerability of children.
Assistant Chief Jeffrey Benza said a draft will be ready for public comments later this month.
“Members of our vulnerable populations need appropriate services. We are working to improve how we interact with our youth,” Benza said.
Benza said more than 2,000 responses to a youth survey were used to help write the policy.
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The city of Tempe is considering an ordinance that would limit the use of automatic license plate readers. The proposal would also destroy all its existing ALPR data and penalize city staff for violations. -
A federal judge overseeing a long running racial profiling case against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office denied a request on Thursday to end oversight of the agency. -
The grand jury indictments of Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. list the same charges previously filed in direct complaints by prosecutors. -
Back in January, federal immigration agents raided each of the 14 Zipps Sports Grill locations across metro Phoenix. They were looking for undocumented workers and ended up arresting dozens of them. -
Right in the middle of Phoenix, there is a temporary holding facility where detainees are being held much longer than they are supposed to be and ICE agents have called 911 multiple times.
