Phoenix mayor Gallego: 'listening sessions' coming after DOJ's blistering policing report

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, in her first interview since the U.S. Justice Department released its investigative findings about flawed policing in Phoenix, said the final report was "a very difficult read" that the city is taking "very seriously."

Gallego told AZ Family in a 5-minute interview Tuesday, five days after the report dropped on June 13, that the city would organize listening sessions to get feedback from the community on residents' reactions to the report and their hopes for the city's next steps. She said the 126-page DOJ report would help Phoenix become a "better, safer city."

The wide-ranging and at times scathing report, released after a three-year investigation, concluded that the city and its police department systematically discriminated against people of color, those with mental health problems and those facing homelessness. The DOJ said Phoenix police unlawfully seized property and used excessive force, including fatal force. The department's actions violated the First, Fourth and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which protect free speech and prohibit unlawful searches and seizures or discrimination.

Gallego, noting the report's focus on deficiencies in data and training, told AZ Family: "Those are things that fall to the responsibility of elected officials to step up and make sure we do a better job. And we will deliver, not just for our officers, but our entire city."

Asked if the report surprised her and if she believed the findings, the mayor said she and her City Council colleagues recognize improvement is needed when addressing homelessness. She stressed the changes the city has made since she became mayor, but Gallego did not directly state whether she believed the findings or not.

The mayor said, "We want to learn as much as possible from the areas where we can do better."

Gallego said listening sessions would allow city officials to hear from residents "who notice and know things that we need to understand before we make any final decisions."

Asked if the DOJ's report could hurt morale in the department and hinder recruitment efforts, Gallego said other mayors who've experienced DOJ investigations told her officers who join the department amid DOJ investigations are typically "reform-minded individuals who want safer communities" and turned out to be some of the city's best officers.

Gallego said she was "trying to find hope in that."

See Mayor Kate Gallego's interview on AZ Family here.

Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 48-476-6116.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego breaks silence on DOJ policing report