Some fear excessive use of force will rise as the DOJ drops oversight of police departments

 Some fear excessive use of force will rise as the DOJ drops oversight of police departments

But cities that were under police reform agreements say they will follow through with proposed changes anyway.



the Justice Department’s ability to improve local police forces.

According to the 126-page report, which included data from 2016 through 2024, the Phoenix Police Department routinely committed “very significant and severe violations of federal law and the Constitution” and lacked accountability, supervision and training. Among the biggest concerns highlighted by the DOJ were racial discrimination during police encounters and reckless use of force.

The Justice Department issued 36 recommendations, including improved use-of-force training and new policies for encounters with vulnerable populations. But Gallego and several council members opposed the agreement, calling the accusations unsubstantiated and others asking for a full review before adopting it.

The city has since adopted a series of reforms aimed at addressing the DOJ’s findings. It implemented a new use-of-force policy, developed new emergency training materials and assembled a civilian review board.

“We will continue to look for every opportunity to make sure we’re serving our residents in the best way possible,” Gallego said in a statement. “I said many times that we would adopt reforms and see them through, regardless of the DOJ investigation, and I meant it.”

Consent decrees have had mixed results. In Los Angeles, which exited its 12-year agreement in 2013, the police department continues to face excessive-use allegations and lawsuits.

Most recently, several students from the University of California, Los Angeles, sued the LAPD, alleging assault, battery and other violations by officers during campus protests last year. The students said in the lawsuit that they were shot by rubber bullets and subjected to unnecessary force at a pro-Palestinian encampment.

A spokesperson for the union representing police officers has called the allegations baseless and inflammatory.

In Baltimore, where the police department entered into a consent decree following the 2015 killing of Freddie Gray, who died after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody, reform efforts remain ongoing.

The force is now in the “assessment” phase of its agreement, according to a city dashboard. In December, the DOJ applauded its progress, prompting a partial termination of the agree



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