Southwest
Justice Department finds Phoenix Police have used excessive force, discriminated against minorities
The Justice Department announced Thursday that police in Phoenix have been engaging in conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law by using “excessive force” and discriminating against Black, Hispanic and Native American people, among other actions.
A “comprehensive investigation” into the Phoenix Police Department has uncovered that it and the city “unlawfully detain, cite, and arrest people experiencing homelessness and unlawfully dispose of their belongings,” as well as “discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when dispatching calls for assistance and responding to people in crisis,” the Justice Department says.
“The Justice Department has concluded there is reasonable cause to believe that the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives its residents and visitors, including Black, Hispanic, and Native American people, of their rights under the Constitution and federal law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“The release of today’s findings report is an important step toward accountability and transparency, and we are committed to working with the City of Phoenix and Phoenix Police Department on meaningful reform that protects the civil rights and safety of Phoenix residents and strengthens police-community trust.”
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Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington in April 2023. The Justice Department announced Thursday, June 13, the findings of an investigation into the conduct of the Phoenix Police Department. (AP/Susan Walsh)
The Justice Department says it began investigating Phoenix law enforcement in August 2021 and based its findings on interviews, police interactions, thousands of documents and hundreds of hours of body-worn camera footage.
It said it found Phoenix Police to use “excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and other types of force.”
LOUISVILLE POLICE ENTER NEGOTIATIONS WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AFTER REPORT ON RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Phoenix Police stand in front of police headquarters May 30, 2020, in Phoenix, waiting for protesters marching to protest the death of George Floyd. (AP/Ross D. Franklin)
“The police also used excessive force, delayed necessary medical aid and infringed on the civil rights of those engaged in First Amendment-protected conduct, including demonstrations and protests,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.
Michael Sullivan, the interim police chief for the Phoenix Police Department, speaks at a news conference in February 2023 in Phoenix. (AP/Gregory Payan)
“Consistent with its standard practice in investigations of other cities, the Department provided a detailed briefing on the findings to the City and PhxPD on Tuesday, and proposed that the parties agree in principle to negotiate expeditiously and in good faith to reach a comprehensive court-enforceable settlement with independent monitoring,” the Justice Department added.
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The corporation that owns the Langham Huntington Pasadena has settled a civil lawsuit claiming the luxury hotel hiked room rates while more than 200,000 residents evacuated their homes during the pair of deadly and destructive wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January of 2025. The lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles County District […]
Southern California is bracing for a hot and muggy week ahead, with heat watches in place and a chance of thunderstorms across the mountains and desert regions.
Temperatures are expected to increase each day into midweek, prompting officials to extend a heat advisory until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when it will transition to an extreme heat watch for even warmer conditions through Thursday evening.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with many locations topping 100 degrees and some reaching 110, according to the National Weather Service.
“Monsoonal moisture moving over the area will add to the discomfort, also bringing the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day,” the Weather Service said.
Those thunderstorms are most likely to occur over the mountain and desert areas as subtropical moisture is drawn into the region by a strong ridge of high pressure.
Temperatures along the coast may even reach the 90s by midweek, with very warm temperatures continuing through the night.
“Given the extreme heat and humidity, it’s highly recommended to complete outdoor activities as early as possible,” the Weather Service said.
The high pressure is expected to slowly weaken Thursday, bringing afternoon highs to within a few degrees of normal in most areas by Friday.
Two rare corpse flowers have begun to bloom simultaneously at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the nonprofit organization announced Sunday evening.
Odorysseus, the taller of the two flowers, bloomed first. A second, smaller corpse flower named Odora appears to be following close behind.
The Huntington Library is inviting visitors to take in the flowers’ unique aroma, which is often compared to rotting flesh.
“And so it begins,” the Huntington Library wrote on social media.
Odora is shaped a bit differently than Odorysseus because its spadix is inverted due to a developmental irregularity. This is not expected to affect the blooming of the flower.
“Plot twist!” the Huntington Library wrote on Instagram. “Odora wants to steal the spotlight. Odora’s spathe has started opening, too. Tiny but mighty, we’re in for quite the show with a double bloom.”
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File: The Corpse Flower, as seen in 2024 at The Huntington in San Marino, California. (Photo by Linnea Stephan)
The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, and is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays, and during peak seasons. “Twilight stroll” hours are available on the Huntington’s website.
The public can also watch a live stream of the bloom on the organization’s YouTube channel.
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