Phoenix touts the independence of its police watchdog office. An attorney's lawsuit claims otherwise
An attorney whose job offer was rescinded by Phoenix, leading to the resignation of Phoenix's police accountability director, filed a lawsuit against the city on Wednesday.
In September, Catherine Bowman was hired to be the lawyer for the Office of Accountability and Transparency by Roger Smith, the office's director.
Three months later, over Smith's objection, the city revoked her offer, saying that her volunteer work with the Tucson Police Department in the 1980s violated a city law barring the police accountability office from hiring anyone previously employed by a police department.
"I'm still passionate about police reform, and I would like the opportunity to do the job that I was selected for," Bowman said in an interview with The Arizona Republic.
Bowman wants the court to say that the city law barring former police department employees from working for the Office of Accountability and Transparency does not apply to her volunteer work.
Dan Wilson, Phoenix's communications director, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Her complaint claimed that though Phoenix touted the independence of the Office of Accountability and Transparency to the U.S. Department of Justice, which is investigating the Phoenix Police Department's use of force practices and other issues, the city choked that independence when the city attorney advised the city manager to back out of hiring her.
The director of the Office of Accountability and Tranparency should have the authority to hire staff over the objection of the city manager's office, the complaint argued.
Bowman also claimed that Phoenix didn't follow its hiring procedures and didn't allow her to appeal the revocation.
The complaint asks the court to declare that she should be allowed to work for the Office of Accountability and Transparency and order the city to rehire her.
Reach the reporter at miguel.torres@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Attorney sues after Phoenix police watchdog office job is rescinded
