The Phoenix Council votes against the discharge of the police oversight office

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Police Oversight Bureau will keep funding, but when or if it will ever open is still unclear.

Three Phoenix city council members, Sal DiCiccio, Thelda Williams and Jim Waring, suggested devaluing the office of accountability and transparency. The trio wanted to use most of the bureau’s $ 3 million budget on homeless services.

At a council meeting on Wednesday, dozen of Phoenix residents and supporters of police reform called to oppose the idea. Phoenix City Council voted 6-3 against the transfer.

Council members approved and funded OAT last year, but they hit an impasse when it came to how the office was supposed to carry out its oversight functions last November.

“Support for the OAT is set for failure,” Councilor Sal DiCiccio said with criminals running through our streets. “

“For me, oversight and accountability contribute to a safe city,” said Mayor Kate Gallego. “We want to build trust in our community and want all of our residents to feel that our justice system is working as well as possible.” . ”

Several criminal justice reform groups filed nine petitions with the Phoenix City Council on Wednesday. They called on the city council to dismiss the city administrator and police chief, disband the police agency’s tactical response unit, and request the prosecutor to drop criminal charges against police reform demonstrators.

The petitions seek reforms following a recent ABC15 investigation. Politically Charged revealed how Phoenix officials abused, ridiculed, lied and charged protesters who spoke out against politicians and police.

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