The U.S. Justice Department says Phoenix police are unconstitutionally violent.
After a three-year investigation, the feds released scathing findings on Thursday.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said Phoenix police are trained to escalate in order to de-escalate an encounter.
“Meaning that you could escalate with force, including deadly force, in order to diffuse it," Clarke said.
Clarke said Phoenix has a policy for the use of certain arms designed to stop, but not kill a person.
“Taking the weapons away from officers who did not fire them enough," Clarke said.
A Phoenix police union president said he has never been taught to escalate and never heard of a use-it-or-lose it policy.
