Public safety is the foundation of our communities, and police officers are on the front lines.
Now more than ever, this job is something you get up to every day and put your life on the line for.
That's why it's so dangerous that The Arizona Republic recently published an editorial alleging a hostile takeover of the Phoenix Police Department by the Biden administration's Department of Justice.
The Republic's editorial board appears to be taking the so-called “Department of Justice Report” at face value, in effect pleading for America to become a vassal nation.
Without a doubt, this will make Arizonans less safe and Phoenix a more dangerous place.
The Justice Department didn't tell the whole story, it asked the right questions
Name one thing the federal government has done to improve in recent years. The answer is “nothing.”
Let us be clear: misconduct by public officials should never be tolerated, but the Department of Justice report is nothing more than a politically motivated document written by those who want to undermine law enforcement.
The Justice Department report did not give the full facts.
Nor did it ask the right questions: For example, the Justice Department asked why there are so many police shootings, but it did not ask why so many people are firing at police or brandishing knives or other weapons.
The federal government's failure to address the fentanyl epidemic and open borders have also led to an increase in crime in nearby Maricopa County.
But that is not how the Department of Justice operates: It uses piecemeal information to allege patterns and practices of misconduct with little or no supporting evidence.
The Department of Justice didn't clean my house. I did.
In many of the situations cited by the Department of Justice, a suspect commits a crime and someone calls the police, but the Department of Justice questions the purpose of police involvement and, more importantly, makes no mention of the crime victim.
As an example of how the Department of Justice is willing to discount facts in order to reach its conclusions, one need only look to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office's report on “constitutional violations” surrounding the 2020 downtown Phoenix protests.
It talks about how the Arizona State Bar suspended the prosecutor in charge, clearly implying that the State Bar had to go to the county attorney's office and clean up the investigation. This assertion is false.
Here is the truth: The Maricopa County DA's Office cleaned up their own organization. Policy changes were made and corrective actions were taken including dismissing the case and referring this individual to the bar. I fired her and testified against her at her bar hearing along with other attorneys from the Maricopa County DA's Office.
The feds just want to control the Phoenix Police Department.
But knowing all the facts won't get the Justice Department to its ultimate goal: control over local police departments.
I have some news for them: There are some DC lawyers who have no law enforcement experience. do not Making Phoenix Safer. DOJ consent decrees don't produce better outcomes or safer communities. In fact, most cities subject to DOJ consent decrees have seen an increase in violent crime in the first two years.
And then there's the issue of cost: Money that could be used to hire more officers, retain current officers, train personnel and fund other interdiction programs is being used to pursue the expansion of the Justice Department's mission.
Phoenix and the Department of Justice's ultimate goal:Still “Let's make a deal”
If we choose to resist the consent decree, it will only get worse — just ask the Maricopa County taxpayers who have paid nearly $300 million for something that happened years ago.
What do we have to show?
an unelected federal judge who runs the sheriff's office; Cost of $100,000 per year Abandoned office space, slow investigations, demoralized investigators — there's no end in sight to all of this, because the “independent monitors” only get paid so long as they keep finding problems.
Leave the surveillance to the city, not the carpetbaggers.
There is no question that the safety of our residents is paramount, and as Maricopa County's attorney and a career prosecutor, I have remained steadfast in my ethical mission to protect victims of crime and uphold their civil rights.
If there is evidence of widespread wrongdoing or corruption, I can assure you that my office will investigate it.
Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan has been adamant about reform, and oversight should remain with him and the City Council, who answer to voters.
The men and women of the Phoenix Police Department who put their lives on the line every day should be thanked, not criticized.
Everyone needs to realize that Justice Department investigators will never be the solution.
Rachel Mitchell is the Maricopa County Attorney. X, formerly Twitter: Rachel Mitchell.
