In a letter to Ag Pam Bondi, Thomas Galvin calls the Phoenix Police Department’s DOJ investigation “pure politics.”
Maricopa County, Ariz. – Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Thomas Galvin, urges newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to end the investigation into the Department of Justice Phoenix Police Department, calling it a politically motivated counterproductive.
In a letter sent to Bondi this week, Galvin demanded that the DOJ stop efforts to impose federal oversight on the Phoenix Police. Galvin also criticized the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing federal surveillance, saying it is an effective and costly burden for taxpayers.
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“I think we’re looking at federal agencies chasing a particular police station for political reasons,” Galvin said. “The way we saw our Phoenix police officers being treated was where they were found guilty before being allowed to be affordable innocent, and I thought it was unfortunate.”
The history of surveillance
The Phoenix Police Department has been under federal scrutiny since last summer, when the DOJ released a report claiming patterns of excessive force, discrimination against minorities, and violations of the First Amendment Rights. The department then overhauled internal policies and training procedures to become what Phoenix City Manager Jeff Burton calls “self-assessment and self-correction organization.”
But Galvin believes federal intervention is more harmful than good.
“Because of my experience with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, I don’t want the Phoenix Police Department to have the same experience,” he said.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has been operating under federal court oversight for more than a decade following investigations that found former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies racially introduced Latino drivers during traffic stops and immigration enforcement measures. That court oversight includes federally appointed monitors to ensure compliance with constitutional police standards.
Galvin argues that current sheriff’s office leaders have made great strides and that continuous surveillance is not necessary.
“We have shown that there hasn’t been a racist effect since the lawsuit was filed,” he said. “We’re still under that court-supervised system, and I don’t think this really works.”
He added that sheriff’s deputies express their frustration and say they’ll spend more time on compliance papers than patrol the streets. Galvin estimates that the county spent more than $300 million on taxpayer money complying with court mandates.
Civil rights lawyers are pushed back
Not everyone agrees that the surveillance is conducting the course. Phoenix civil rights lawyer Benjamin Taylor says the federal government is still needed — not just for the sheriff’s office, but for the Phoenix Police Department.
“His sheriff turned out to be wrong and found guilty. If he wasn’t with his sheriff, $300 million wouldn’t even be a factor,” Taylor said. “So instead of blaming taxpayers, he needs to blame his department.”
Taylor represents a family like James Garcia, who was shot dead by a Phoenix police officer on July 4, 2020. After seeing Garcia hold a gun inside his car, the shooting was dominated within policy. Still, Taylor says he fears that his family will not change anything without federal intervention.
“The client is worried that nothing will happen and nothing will change,” he said.
Local control questions
Galvin’s letter to the DOJ reflects wider concerns among local leaders regarding federal involvement in local law enforcement.
“In our system of belief in local government, state rights and federalism, it would be better for local residents to decide the future of their institutions, not federal bureaucrats who have returned to DC,” Galvin said.
Phoenix City Council does not request federal oversight and has opted to implement internal reforms instead. Meanwhile, in January, President Trump ordered the DOJ Civil Rights Division to suspend all ongoing investigations into law enforcement, including the Phoenix PD probe.
When asked for comment, the bond-led Justice Department declined to provide updates on the future of the Phoenix investigation or the possible consent ruling.
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