man\u2019s daughter told Arizona Family<\/a> that relatives called 911 because her father was suicidal and hoped to get him some help. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t hostile. He wasn\u2019t irate. He wasn\u2019t threatening anyone else,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe incident tracks one of the key concerns outlined in the June 2024 DOJ report, which faulted how Phoenix police handle situations involving mental illness and \u201cpeople in crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report capped a three-year investigation and found \u201cpervasive failings\u201d in \u201cpolicies, training, supervision, and accountability systems\u201d that had \u201cdisguised and perpetuated these violations for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giordano went to the Altamirano home and again acknowledged public concern about use of force by Phoenix officers. \u201cI\u2019m committed to continuing our training in crisis intervention \u2026 and make sure people get the help they need,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That evening, there was another shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Around 7 p.m., officers responded to an attempted armed robbery call at a fast-food restaurant near 16th Street and Buckeye Road.<\/p>\n
According to police, the caller reported that a man was stealing from a woman and appeared to have a gun. Officers said the suspect initially followed commands to lie on the ground but stood up suddenly, prompting an officer to fire his weapon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No gun was found.<\/p>\n
The following week, Phoenix police were involved in two more shootings on consecutive nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Oct. 10, an officer shot and critically injured a suspect during a car chase. Officers said the suspect fired at them first.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 11, officers shot and killed Francisco Aviles Barcenas, 47, who they said was holding a knife to a woman\u2019s throat.<\/p>\n
The department recorded 21 officer-involved shootings in 2017 and 44 in 2018 \u2013 a record. There were 25 in 2023 and 20 last year.<\/p>\n
Last Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council approved a $1.2 million wrongful death settlement over a 2019 police shooting. In that incident, police searching for a kidnapping suspect shot a\u00a0bystander, Henry Rivera, 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Councilwoman Anna Hernandez, who has spoken publicly about losing her brother to police violence, called the killing a \u201chuge tragedy\u201d that officers could have avoided by taking more time to identify the person they were pursuing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giordano assured the council that he has met with precinct commanders and other leaders to set clear expectations, emphasizing the need to improve communication and seek less-lethal options when dealing with suspects.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are always going to look for ways to improve. We\u2019ll continue to work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hernandez expressed skepticism, noting that officers have received plenty of training already.<\/p>\n
After the report was issued in June 2024, Arizona officials from both parties accused the department of overstepping its authority over local law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat then serving in the U.S. House, asserted in a letter to a top DOJ official that its demands would impose \u201coverly burdensome costs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Arizona Police Association railed against the oversight and report.<\/p>\n
Soon after President Donald Trump returned to office in January, Republicans stepped up their lobbying about the DOJ findings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In April, state Senate President Warren Petersen decried the \u201chost of biased and inaccurate findings.\u201d Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin told Attorney General Pam Bondi that \u201cDOJ\u2019s early moves against Phoenix were the prior administration\u2019s attempt to impose its political will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Scottsdale, denounced what he called the \u201cBiden DOJ\u2019s baseless claims\u201d against Phoenix police, saying \u201cour officers did everything right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also rejected the report, calling it \u201ca politically driven document prepared by a federal agency focused on undermining local law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
On May 21, Bondi withdrew the findings in Phoenix and similar findings of police abuse in Louisville, Ky.; Minneapolis; Trenton, N.J.; Memphis; Mount Vernon, N.Y.; Oklahoma City and Louisiana.<\/p>\n
The Trump DOJ said the earlier findings were based on \u201cflawed methodologies and incomplete data\u201d and argued that consent decrees proposed under President Joe Biden entailed unnecessary costs and oversight.<\/p>\n
Phoenix leaders have long acknowledged room for improvement in the use of force, though.<\/p>\n
In January 2024, the city released a plan titled Road to Reform that outlined new use-of-force policies, calling for expanded use of body cameras and creation of a Crisis Intervention Team and Community Assistance Program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Four weeks after Trump returned to the White House, the department formally adopted a new use-of-force policy. That policy states that officers \u201cshall use only the force that is objectively reasonable, necessary, and proportional to effectively and safely resolve an incident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several months passed without any officer-involved shootings, though it\u2019s typical for the numbers to fluctuate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since the recent spike began, Phoenix police have been seeking community feedback on five revised policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giordano has promised department-wide refresher training on tactics and communication; a new review process after each incident; and expanded access to less-lethal tools such as Tasers and pepper-ball launchers.<\/p>\n
Laughlin, co-director of Poder in Action, said the latest pledges to beef up training and oversight are not enough, given the way city officials resisted reforms demanded by the DOJ long enough for the Trump administration to withdraw the report.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe measures named in Chief Giordano\u2019s statement are meaningless. He knows it,\u201d Laughlin said.<\/p>\n
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2025\/10\/20\/phoenix-police-shootings-trump-doj-oversight\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org”>Cronkite News<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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