by Our America | Jun 12, 2025 | Opinion
By Our America |
Last summer, Our America Foundation’s Arizona Hometown Heroes stood up for local control of law enforcement by protesting against the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) consent decree to the Phoenix City Council.
And now, we have a victory – the DOJ has dropped the decree recommendation for the Phoenix Police Department (PPD).
We applaud this move, as we believe that communities are best served when they have a direct say in how they’re governed.
AZ Free News reported late last month that the DOJ rescinded the report and recommendation, thanks in part to an aggressive advocacy campaign by Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R–AZ-8). Hamadeh met with top DOJ officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon (an Our America-backed official), to push for the decision.
This reverses a June 2024 move by Biden’s DOJ, which released a highly critical report after concluding an investigation into the PPD. The report alleged a wide variety of misconduct and abuses by the PPD, and the DOJ pressured the city to sign a consent decree.
This decree would have meant federal monitoring and control over the PPD, and was criticized as a clear-cut example of federal overreach. The PPD was already taking proactive steps to fix any existing issues, and the department enjoyed strong support from the local community.
As we’ve written about in the past, similar moves by the DOJ to take control over police departments in Seattle and Albuquerque resulted in an increase in crime. Furthermore, these decrees put additional financial burdens on departments and in effect work as a de-facto way of defunding the police.
Keeping control in the hands of Americans over Washington bureaucrats is a good bet to make communities safer and stronger.
Our America is an organization seeking to build a broad, diverse coalition of people who support those timeless American values that empower everyone to thrive, including: equal opportunity, mutual respect, and freedom of expression.
by Matthew Holloway | May 26, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
“Promise made. Promise kept.” Congressman Abe Hamadeh was celebratory last week and praised the decision by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to rescind a politically driven report against the Phoenix Police Department on “patterns and practice” of discrimination that was found by law enforcement experts to be 97% “factually or contextually inaccurate.”
Describing the report as being from a “weaponized investigation by the Biden Administration,” Hamadeh urged FBI Director Kash Patel to take action to refute the report in a letter previously reported by AZ Free News. In a statement issued Wednesday, Hamadeh’s office said the Arizona Republican had engaged in “aggressive advocacy for the men and women of the Phoenix Police Department,” which culminated in a meeting with top DOJ Officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.
“I promised our law enforcement officers before taking office that I would end the weaponization of our judicial system and work with President Trump’s Department of Justice to undo the damage wrought by the Biden Administration,” Hamadeh said.
He added, “I am grateful to President Trump and his team of patriotic professionals dedicated to the men and women of our local law enforcement agencies who run to the sound of danger to keep our communities safe and secure.”
Hamadeh explained, “As I noted in my communications with Trump Administration officials, our officers did everything right, voluntarily cooperating in good faith, opening their records, and participating in lengthy interviews. They were met with stonewalling, mischaracterized testimony, and a final report riddled with glaring inaccuracies.”
“The Trump Administration has now shown that it will not tolerate attacks on our law enforcement officers – either through physical violence or bureaucratic machinations,” said Congressman Hamadeh.
“Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda,” added Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
As reported by Law Enforcement Today, law enforcement experts Dr. Travis Yates and Dr. JC Chaix released a bombshell analysis on May 1st describing the DOJ report as detailing 134 incidents of which 130 were “either factually or contextually inaccurate,” in a shocking “97% rate of false reporting.”
Yates and Chaix wrote, “The answer lies in the DOJ’s investigative methodology—one that leans heavily on anecdotal narratives, hindsight bias, and advocacy framing rather than factual accuracy. While the individuals conducting this investigation are anonymous, it’s clear that they lack expertise in police operations, policy, or law. In many cases, their descriptions misidentified lawful force as unconstitutional, ignored established case law standards, such as Graham v. Connor, and omitted critical contextual information, including suspect behavior, threats, or prior warnings.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 16, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County leadership is asking U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to drop a lawsuit against Phoenix police and limit consent decrees.
In a letter sent to Bondi on Tuesday, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin made the case to drop the ongoing Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against the Phoenix Police Department and further restrict consent decree usage in order to improve law enforcement capabilities.
“My colleagues and I share a commitment to effective policing,” said Galvin. “Federal oversight is an affront to federalism.”
Galvin said the controls exercised by the judicial branch over policing in recent decades amounted to “an assault on federalism and a quiet tyranny” perpetrated by activists. The chairman reminded Bondi that no instances of racial profiling in traffic stops emerged in Maricopa County following the 2013 ruling in Ortega Melendres, et al. v. Arpaio, et al. In that case, the ACLU, ACLU of Arizona, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and law firm Covington & Burling sued on behalf of Latino residents alleging Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office committed racial profiling in traffic stops when inquiring after immigration status.
“Tragically, one of the largest obstacles to protecting our citizens is legal: judicial takeovers of law enforcement through consent decrees, court-appointed monitors, and judgments that mutate over time to prevent local governments from ever satisfying their requirements and regaining local control,” wrote Galvin.
Galvin reported Maricopa County spent over $300 million on the consent decree and independent monitoring to comply with the 2013 federal court ruling. Galvin asked Bondi to restore limitations on consent decrees in order to lift the fiscal and administrative burdens on Maricopa County law enforcement.
Galvin also asked Bondi to drop the lawsuit against the Phoenix Police Department (PPD). Last June, the Biden administration’s DOJ accused PPD and the city of Phoenix of committing civil rights violations: excessive force and unjustified deadly force; unlawful detainment, citations, and arrests of homeless individuals; unlawful disposal of homeless belongings; discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and Native American individuals; free speech punishments; and discrimination against mentally ill individuals.
The DOJ’s accusations were a result of their investigation opened in August 2021. The DOJ sought to enter into a consent decree and independent monitoring, but the city refused.
“It simply sets the stage for a judgment that allows a federal judge to take over law enforcement in America’s fifth-largest city — exactly the nightmare that Maricopa County is living already,” wrote Galvin. “I am certain you will agree that our communities will only be safer and stronger if they were able to commit every resource to fighting the flow of drugs, violence, and human smuggling rather than chasing the whims of a federal judge.”
The county does have some support for an end to the lawsuit at the federal level.
Last month, Congressman Abe Hamadeh submitted a similar request letter to FBI Director Kash Patel requesting a rescission of the DOJ’s “desperate witch hunt” report on PPD.
“It is nothing more than an attempt to undercut valid police work, leaving my constituents — both officers and civilians — at risk,” wrote Hamadeh. “Despite the Biden DOJ’s baseless claims, our officers did everything right, voluntarily cooperating in good faith, opening their records, and participating in lengthy interviews. They were met with stonewalling, mischaracterized testimony, and a final report riddled with glaring inaccuracies.”
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by Matthew Holloway | Mar 23, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) issued a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, calling on him to rescind a Department of Justice report on the Phoenix Police Department. Hamadeh characterized the report as an example of the weaponization of the DOJ based on cherry picked narratives by the outgoing Biden Administration to support “their political agenda.”
In part, the letter from Hamadeh read, “The Biden DOJ’s ‘pattern or practice’ report on the Phoenix Police Department was a desperate witch hunt. It is nothing more than an attempt to undercut valid police work, leaving my constituents – both officers and civilians – at risk.
“Despite the Biden DOJ’s baseless claims, our officers did everything right, voluntarily cooperating in good faith, opening their records, and participating in lengthy interviews. They were met with stonewalling, mischaracterized testimony, and a final report riddled with glaring inaccuracies. The Biden DOJ’s claim that Phoenix Police Department officers violated constitutional standards during unrest following one of President Trump’s rallies was absurd. That claim is especially ludicrous because the Ninth Circuit affirmed that the department’s actions were lawful. The Biden DOJ ignored this and many other court-backed facts, choosing instead to cherry-pick narratives that support their political agenda.
“The Biden DOJ sowed distrust, diverting millions from public safety, and discouraging officers — at the very moment when Arizona’s communities need them most.”
As reported by AZ Free News, efforts had been underway during the Biden administration to shackle the Phoenix police with a DOJ Consent Decree designed to place the Department under court-ordered federal oversight. The move came following a report from the Biden DOJ that claimed, “We have reasonable cause to believe that PhxPD and the City engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law. First, PhxPD uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable less-lethal force. Second, PhxPD and the City violate the rights of people experiencing homelessness by unlawfully detaining, citing, and arresting them and by unlawfully disposing of their belongings. Third, PhxPD discriminates against Black, Hispanic, and Native American people when making stops and arrests. Fourth, PhxPD violates individuals’ First Amendment Rights. Fifth, PhxPD and the City discriminate in their response to people who have behavioral health disabilities. Finally, we have serious concerns about PhxPD’s treatment of children, and the lasting impact aggressive police encounters have on their mental and physical wellbeing.”
Hamadeh, who participated in a regularly scheduled Air Support Mission with the PPD, had the opportunity to see the work of Phoenix Police Officers firsthand and a statement from his office said decisively, “Congressman Hamadeh believes that by rescinding the DOJ’s report on the Phoenix Police Department, the Trump administration will send a powerful message that political interference has no place in law enforcement, and that America First principles now govern the day.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Paul Parisi | Sep 3, 2024 | Opinion
By Paul Parisi |
On August 26, 2024, Our America Hometown Heroes made their voices heard at the Phoenix City Council meeting, standing up for local control and the autonomy of the Phoenix Police Department (PPD). Wearing their signature yellow T-shirts, several Hometown Heroes rallied and spoke during the public comment period, advocating for the city’s ability to manage its own police force without federal intervention.
In stark contrast, a smaller group of Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists attended the same meeting, calling for a DOJ Consent Decree that would place the PPD under court-ordered oversight. Their demands stemmed from a controversial June report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which criticized the PPD and pushed for federal oversight despite the department’s voluntary efforts to implement sweeping reforms.
Our America’s presence at the meeting was bolstered by leaders of organizations representing minority communities, such as BLEXIT Arizona, the Hispanic Liberty Alliance, and the Independent Women’s Network. This coalition underscores the broad support for local control.
During the meeting, four speakers from Our America took to the podium, urging the Phoenix mayor and council to continue the reforms that have already significantly reduced crime while safeguarding all citizens’ civil rights.
Reflecting on her long history of positive engagement with law enforcement, Bella Ceballos-Viner shared, “For over 25 years, I have had nothing but great experiences, and I speak on behalf of my Hispanic community and many African-Americans who support the police.” Her words resonated with the room, highlighting the importance of community trust and collaboration with local law enforcement.
Christy Narsi, another Hometown Hero and part of Independent’s Women’s Network spoke passionately about the failures of DOJ Consent Decrees in other cities, warning the council against relinquishing local control.
Christy emphasized, “I urge you not to surrender local autonomy by allowing federal overreach to steal control of our local law enforcement and the city they serve.” Her argument underscored the belief that decisions about local policing should be made by those who know the community best.
The debate over the future of the PPD is a microcosm of a larger national conversation about the balance between federal oversight and local autonomy in law enforcement. Our America firmly believes that the best way to achieve safer streets and a brighter future is through a combination of police and criminal justice reforms tailored to the unique needs of each community. The reforms that the PPD has already implemented are a testament to the power of local action and the effectiveness of community-driven solutions.
As the City of Phoenix faces pressure from the DOJ to enter into a Consent Decree, the voices of local residents and activists like those from Our America will play a crucial role in determining the path forward.
By continuing to advocate for local control, Our America Hometown Heroes are not only standing up for the autonomy of the Phoenix Police Department but also for the principle that communities are best served when they have a direct say in how they are governed.
Paul Parisi is the Arizona Grassroots Director for Our America.
