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Analysis of 2018 Use of Deadly Force by the Phoenix Police Department

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Analysis of 2018 Use of Deadly Force by the Phoenix Police Department ANALYSIS OF 2018 USE OF DEADLY FORCE BY THE PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT April 2019 Analysis of 2018 Use of Deadly Force by the Phoenix Police Department This report was developed by the National Police Foundation. National Police Foundation 1201 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20036 www.policefoundation.org Twitter: @policefound [email protected] Authors: Jeff Rojek, PhD, Michigan State University; Justin Nix, PhD, University of Nebraska Omaha; Scott Wolfe, PhD; Michigan State University; Geoff Alpert, PhD, University of South Carolina; James Burch, National Police Foundation; Julie Grieco, PhD, National Police Foundation; Teresina Robbins, M.S., National Police Foundation. Analysis of 2018 Use of Deadly Force by the Phoenix Police Department Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Background ................................................................................................................................................. 2 2. 2018 in Context ........................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 The Phoenix Police Department ............................................................................................................... 4 2.2 General City Information ......................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Poverty .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.4 Crime .................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.5 Mental Health ........................................................................................................................................ 7 2.6 Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) Incidents .................................................................................................. 7 2.7 Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Compared to Other Large Agencies in the United States ............................ 9 2.8 Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Compared to Other Agencies in Arizona ................................................. 12 2.9 Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Compared to Other Law Enforcement Agencies in Maricopa County ......... 15 2.10 Key Takeaways ................................................................................................................................... 15 3. Stakeholder Perspectives on OIS Trends ....................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Community Perspectives ....................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Officer Perspective ............................................................................................................................... 21 4. Characteristics of 2018 OIS Relative to Years Past ........................................................................................ 29 4.1 OIS Incident Characteristics .................................................................................................................. 29 4.2 Officer Characteristics .......................................................................................................................... 35 4.3 Subject Characteristics ......................................................................................................................... 43 5. Trends in Relation to OIS ............................................................................................................................. 47 5.1 Use of Force Incidents and Complaints ................................................................................................... 47 5.2 Violent Crime in Phoenix ....................................................................................................................... 51 5.3 Arrests ................................................................................................................................................. 53 5.4 Assaults on Officers .............................................................................................................................. 53 6. Use of Force and Related Officer-Involved Shooting Policies and Training ........................................................ 57 6.1 Policies ............................................................................................................................................... 57 6.2 Training ............................................................................................................................................... 57 6.3 Observations of Training and Interviews with Staff.................................................................................... 58 6.4 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 59 7. Key Findings and Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 60 8. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 65 About the National Police Foundation .............................................................................................................. 66 Analysis of 2018 Use of Deadly Force by the Phoenix Police Department List of Figures Figure 1: Phoenix, AZ Unemployment v. National Unemployment .................................................................. 4 Figure 2: Population Below Poverty Level in Phoenix, and the State of Arizona ............................................. 5 Figure 3: Violent Crime Incidents in Phoenix .................................................................................................. 6 Figure 4: Aggravated Assaults in Phoenix ...................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5: Total Number of PPD OIS incidents (Fatal and Non-Fatal) by Year (2009-2018) ................................ 8 Figure 6: Agencies with the Most Fatal OIS Incidents in 2018 ......................................................................... 9 Figure 7: Fatal OIS per 100k Population in 2018 (among 20 Agencies with Highest # of Fatal OIS in 2018) .... 10 Figure 8: Fatal OIS per 1k Violent Crimes in 2018 (among 20 Agencies with Highest # of Fatal OIS in 2018) . 12 Figure 9: Arizona Municipal Agencies Involved in One or More Fatal OIS in 2018 ......................................... 13 Figure 10: Fatal OIS per 100k Population (among Arizona Agencies with one or more Fatal OIS in 2018) ..... 14 Figure 11: Fatal OIS per 1k Violent Crimes (among Arizona Agencies with one or more Fatal OIS in 2018) ... 14 Figure 12: OIS in Maricopa County, 2017-2018 .............................................................................................. 15 Figure 13: Percent of PPD OIS by Quarter, 2009-17 v. 2018 ........................................................................... 29 Figure 14: Percent of PPD OIS by Month, 2009-17 v. 2018 ............................................................................. 30 Figure 15: Days between PPD OIS Incidents, 2009-17 v. 2018 ....................................................................... 30 Figure 16: Time of Day of PPD OIS Incidents 2009-17 v. 2018 ....................................................................... 31 Figure 17: Initial Contacts that Preceded PPD OIS, 2013-17 v. 2018 .............................................................. 31 Figure 18: Priority of Initial Radio Call, 2013-17 v. 2018................................................................................. 32 Figure 19: Factors Contributing to PPD OIS, 2013-17 v. 2018 ........................................................................ 33 Figure 20: PPD Officer Arrival Time to OIS (in minutes) 2013-17 v. 2018 ....................................................... 34 Figure 21: Contact Time to OIS Time (in minutes), 2013-17 v. 2018 ............................................................... 34 Figure 22: Supervisor Status at Time of PPD OIS 2013-17 v. 2018 ................................................................. 35 Figure 23: Setting of OIS, 2013-17 v. 2018 ..................................................................................................... 35 Figure 24: Number of Officers Actively Engaged in PPD OIS, 2013-17 v. 2018 ............................................... 36 Figure 25: Number of Officers Who Fired their Weapons in PPD OIS, 2013-17 v. 2018 .................................. 37 Figure 26: Race/Ethnicity of Officers Involved in PPD OIS, 2009-17 v. 2018 .................................................. 37 Figure 27: Gender of Officers Involved in OIS, 2009-17 v. 2018 ..................................................................... 38 Figure 28: Tenure of OIS Officers, 2009-17 v. 2018 ........................................................................................ 39 Figure 29: Age of PPD Officers Involved in OIS, 2009-17 v. 2018 ..................................................................
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