Phoenix PD Report: Damning Sexual Harassment Findings Against Democrat Sheriff Candidate Tyler Kamp

Phoenix PD Report: Damning Sexual Harassment Findings Against Democrat Sheriff Candidate Tyler Kamp

By Matthew Holloway |

Democrat candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff Tyler Kamp has been investigated by various news outlets since July. That’s when reports indicated the former Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Lieutenant was embroiled in a major sexual harassment scandal and faced charges in Payson.

The initial reporting of the harassment scandal by legacy outlets left a wide range of unanswered questions. These questions led to Maricopa County voter Brian Anderson, a researcher and founder of the Saguaro Group, to file a records request with the Phoenix PD seeking answers on Kamp’s past misconduct. However, as previously reported by AZ Free News, the PPD failed to disclose the records even after a demand letter. This prompted a lawsuit which succeeded in forcing the department to respond with records of its Internal Affairs/Equal Opportunity Employment investigation— a full ten months later.

Anderson’s attorney noted in one filing: “Defendant’s failure to disclose Mr. Kemp’s [sic] personnel records before the Primary Election has already resulted in the public not knowing possibly important matters of concern that the public should have knowledge of before voting at the General Election.”

In July, ABC15 reported on the scandal, citing a Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department probe which, at a paltry six pages, was severely lacking in detail and context. The PPD EEO report released under the Anderson lawsuit is a full eleven pages, and the findings are damning.

The victim summarized the harassment allegations, saying (Formatted for Clarity):

“From my time at the Mountain View Precinct of being an officer in training in 2020 under the training of ::REDACTED:: to July 24,2021 of being on 71B I was sexually harassed and affected in and out the work place emotionally and mentally by Lieutenant Tyler Kamp due to many inappropriate sexual comments.

The majority of this took place over text messages and phone calls as well as feeling pressured to meet in person on duty for non-work related topics.

Tyler Kamp was given multiple warnings of the inappropriate behavior over text messages, which did not stop after the first warning. Tyler would:

  • Ask me to go out with him to buy me drinks outside of work while being an officer in training and as a probationary officer
  • Comment about my body and weight
  • Send text messages that would include him stating about how I looked in yoga pants and about me bending over and having flirty eyes
  • Tell me to bring an etra(sic) pair of pants for after shift regarding meeting with him on New Years Eve
  • Become upset that I “ghosted” him on New Years Eve
  • Ask me if the best time to talk to me was after I have had a few drinks
  • Ask if I was proud of him for not telling me anything inappropriate when he was drinking
  • Make his presence known to me while in common areas
  • Tell me he would look at me in his training class and was disappointed that I did not solicit his attention more
  • Restrict me from working and taking calls for service on duty to meet him for non work related topics,
  • Restrict me from training and career advancements due to jealous behavior over my relationship and disregarding that I was in a relationship, causing me to avoid going into the precinct intentionally to avoid contact with him which resulted in me staying in my patrol vehicle until end of shift.

I purposely avoided contact with Tyler Kamp and he would send text messages regarding me avoiding him. He would:

  • Tell me over the phone that other employees such as ::REDACTED:: are jealous of me due to my looks and that I get special treatment that will offend other officers in as well as he had knowledge that I was being treated poorly by my FTO sergeant
  • Make me feel I could not defend or speak up for myself due to him being my direct lieutenant
  • Constantly track where I was at work, when I would arrive in, what I was driving in addition to making comments of what I was wearing such as yoga pants and thanking me for wearing the yoga pants.
  • Track where I was on shift and make contact with me asking why I would not respond to his text messages
  • Randomly text me not to marry young and about his his sex life in addition to informing me that he was a virgin when he married
  • Send morning and good night messages
  • Send me pictures of a female ATF employee that he stated was flirty and one of the pictures included her in a setting where she was unaware of him taking the picture and one of her in uniform while he was in uniform
  • Asking me to call him while off duty and to meet him on duty
  • Talk about inappropriate stories of him and his coworkers regarding drinking and stripper poles.

This behavior continued for a long period and made me feel I was put in a position of having to stay respectful, kind and allow this to continue for a long period over fear of losing my job. I was extremely uncomfortable with the behavior and this damaged my training and ability to work functionally at work and have to constantly be mentally prepared for the behavior and potentially come in contact with Tyler Kamp. I have struggled over this issue for a long time and continuously tried to cope with how I am seen and viewed at my work place, afraid of trusting any employee at a higher rank and feeling at a loss.”

Here are a few additional excerpts from her more detailed accounts:

  • Kamp “texted me in response to my previous message and asked me how a petite woman can hold down whiskey and that ‘I’m sure we will find out soon haha’”
  • “Taking notice of what time I got to work and stated ‘Yoga pants??? Shoot I missed it…’”
  • Kamp asked, “So was it bad that I admitted they look REALLY good on you??”
  • Two days later, Kamp “noted that I had the perfect body for gymnastics” and “added that he was sure I could show him some yoga stuff (big eyes emoji)”
  • Kamp then asked for a photograph of the victim’s family and “told me that my younger sister looks like me” even though the sister was younger than 18 years old; “This part upset me due to being aware of his attraction towards me and then commenting about how my minor sister looked like me.”

In November 2022, Kamp was reportedly interviewed and denied the sexual harassment allegations.  He claimed the text messages were “friendly banter,” saying, “To me, I mean, it was just like friendly banter back-and-forth, but at the same time it was — it was a friendship. So, I mean, I might have friendly banter with another guy or another girl. It doesn’t mean that I’m necessarily attracted to ‘em or it doesn’t mean that, like, I’m trying to get in their pants or anything like that and vice-versa, like, I just don’t look at it that way. I think it’s more just in good fun. It’s more like in good fun.”

He claimed that if the text allegations were true, “I’m still not following why that would even be sexual harassment, but I don’t know if you can explain that or not.”

Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.

Phoenix PD Report: Damning Sexual Harassment Findings Against Democrat Sheriff Candidate Tyler Kamp

Phoenix Police Sued For Failing To Release Records Of Democrat Maricopa County Sheriff Candidate

By Staff Reporter |

The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) is being sued over its failure to release records that allegedly reveal additional wrongdoing by former officer and Democratic nominee for Maricopa County Sheriff, Tyler Kamp.

Multiple media reports have emerged on the sexual harassment complaints and reprimands for misconduct that Kamp received while employed with PPD. 

Kamp’s past misconduct included a city investigation which found that Kamp sexually harassed a rookie female police officer via text in 2020 and in his last year on the force in 2021, though he was never disciplined since the investigation took place after he retired from the department. In 2014, Kamp was suspended for a day for breaching a confidential law enforcement database for personal use. Arizona law classifies unauthorized access to criminal history as a class six felony. In 2013, Kamp was punished for repeatedly using a city vehicle for personal use. 

The unreleased records sought may provide more background on Kamp’s past — and now they’re being fought over in court. 

Maricopa County voter Brian Anderson filed a request for those records on Kamp back in March. When PPD failed to return the records after five months, Anderson had an attorney send PPD a demand letter. In response to that letter, PPD said it would produce the records by mid-September. After PPD failed to produce those records, Anderson filed a lawsuit in court. 

“Defendant’s failure to disclose Mr. Kemp’s [sic] personnel records before the Primary Election has already resulted in the public not knowing possibly important matters of concern that the public should have knowledge of before voting at the General Election,” read one court filing.

The records sought on Kamp seek to corroborate rumors and allegations that Kamp engaged in sexual acts with a civilian in a patrol car while on duty, engaged in sexual acts in the stairwell of PPD headquarters, and committed other sexual harassment and stalking incidents in addition to those publicized by local media. These claims made their way into the September debate between Kamp and his Republican opponent, Jerry Sheridan (who was the second in command under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio). 

Although it is unclear why PPD refuses to release the records, there are some who would stand to benefit. 

Phoenix City Councilman Kevin Robinson was Kamp’s supervising officer and the assistant chief at PPD, and currently serves as his campaign chairman. In the press release announcing Kamp’s run, Robinson offered praise for his former subordinate. 

“I have known Tyler for many years, going back to our time working in law enforcement together,” said Robinson. “He will bring extensive law enforcement and management experience to the role, and ensure a leadership grounded in integrity, accountability and a deep commitment to serving the community.”

In the recent past, MCSO chief deputies have made over $200,000.

On Tuesday, PPD and Anderson convened in court briefly and were scheduled for a full hearing next week. 

Kamp, formerly a Republican, switched parties last December to run as a Democrat. Kamp’s platform includes building on the work of Democratic Sheriff Paul Penzone, which includes more restorative justice rather than incarceration — though the county sheriff has no role in prosecution or sentencing. Some have criticized restorative justice as a “soft-on-crime” approach for practices such as having offenders apologize to victims in exchange for lighter sentencing or parole. Restorative justice is often implemented in high-crime cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. 

Kamp also proposes establishing a task force for crime trends, a cross-agency task force, more hiring incentives like bonuses and continuing educational support, and bringing an end to the Melendres Court Orders.

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

Voter Gets Mail-In Ballot For A Georgia Resident In New Mailbox 

Voter Gets Mail-In Ballot For A Georgia Resident In New Mailbox 

By Corinne Murdock |

Phoenix resident Brian Anderson received a surprise last week when he checked the contents of his newly-registered UPS mailbox: a mail-in ballot made out to a woman who has lived in Fulton County, Georgia for the past decade. 

“This person appears to have been living (and voting!) in Fulton County, Georgia since at least 2015,” said Anderson. “Yet her Maricopa ballots presumably have been mailed to this UPS box every election for the past decade?” 

Anderson later reported that he marked the ballot as invalid and returned it to USPS. 

Registered voters may obtain a mail-in ballot by either joining the Active Early Voting List (AEVL) or making a one-time request for such a ballot. Under AEVL, voters may receive early ballots by mail indefinitely, so long as they vote at least once every two election cycles, or four calendar years. 

Anderson shared with AZ Free News what he’d discovered through public records: the woman named on the ballot had moved out of Arizona around 2013, and has voted in Georgia elections since at least 2016. 

“I just don’t understand how no one has marked this lady as inactive after a decade,” said Anderson. 

The continued mailing of ballots to ineligible voters doesn’t necessarily mean that those voters have voted in recent past elections. 

Under a law passed in 2021 turning the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) into AEVL, SB1485voters are supposed to be removed from AEVL if they haven’t cast an early ballot over the course of two consecutive federal election cycles and fail to respond within 90 days to a mailed notice from the county recorder. Such a response would have to include a written confirmation of that voter’s desire to remain on AEVL, along with their address and date of birth. 

Removal from AEVL doesn’t cancel a voter’s registration, and doesn’t preclude the voter from rejoining AEVL.

The law is under ongoing litigation launched by progressive activists currently: Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes. They allege that the laws violate the First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments along with the Voting Rights Act by imposing a greater barrier to vote that disproportionately impacts non-white individuals.

The implementation of AEVL is also under the subject of another lawsuit from Arizona’s GOP legislative leaders challenging Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ Election Procedures Manual (EPM). They alleged that Fontes’ EPM contradicts the implication of SB1485. 

Instead of county recorders issuing notices to AEVL members who didn’t cast an early ballot over the 2022 or 2024 election cycles in 2025, Fontes’ EPM directs county recorders to send notices to AEVL members who didn’t vote by early ballot in the 2024 or 2026 election cycles. The GOP leaders argued that the scope of SB1485 included the 2022 election cycle, though Fontes contended that the cycle predated the law’s passage since the cycle began on Jan. 1, 2021.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.