PHOENIX — Shots were fired at a Phoenix bus station and an officer was the one who pulled the trigger. Phoenix Police Department says the suspect was attacking that officer. In the scuffle, that officer lost control of his taser. The gun quickly became the officer's only option, according to police.
"Policing has always been dangerous," says Interim Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan. "What we have seen at the start of this year — certainly the pace and tempo and number of firearms our officers are engaging individuals with — is a challenge."
But members of the community worry it's getting more dangerous for them as well.
"I was out covering the officer-involved shooting at (27th Avenue and McDowell Road) last Wednesday, and a number of people came up to me and our crew and said they are concerned. They don't want to see these officer-involved shootings. They're worried. They don't want this in their community. What would your response be to them?" ABC15's Nick Ciletti asked Chief Sullivan.
"Officers, and the police department and myself don't want to see officer-involved shootings as well. We want to see successful resolutions. We don't want to see officers have to be involved in these situations. We don't want communities and families to have to endure this," Chief Sullivan responded.
Chief Sullivan says one solution is going after "prohibited possessors," or people who may be in possession of a firearm but are not legally allowed to have one. He says it requires teamwork from his department, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and officials with the ATF.
But guns aren't the only problem officers and members of the community are concerned about.
SEE THE FIRST PART OF THE INTERVIEW HERE
Fentanyl is something else Chief Sullivan discussed.
"It's a massive problem. I came into policing in the early 1990s where we saw open-air drug markets. We saw crack cocaine; this well exceeds what I saw in the early 1990s...I probably couldn't be any more concerned. Two 'Number One' things we are facing challenge-wise - addiction and mental health issues. And then when we get thrown into, when it's a crisis situation, in each of those situations, it's a very tough job. That's why we have to come up with an approach where, before it becomes a crisis, we have folks that are involved outside of the police."
And that's not the only issue the department is facing. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was launching an investigation into the Phoenix Police Department's use of force policies. That investigation was launched under former Chief Jeri Williams.
It's an issue the ABC15 Investigators have reported on for years. "You inherited a department that is under investigation by the DOJ. Have you been given a timetable for when you might see a report?" Ciletti asked.
Chief Sullivan said: "That's a good question for the DOJ because that's the same question I've been asking them. I look forward to an update soon. I got an update right after I got here. That was the last time I had a good conversation with the DOJ. We continue to provide materials that they have asked for. And we will continue to do that. And I believe that we will come out again this spring for what I believe will be the second visit since I've been here."
Ciletti asked, "As the current chief of this department, how concerned are you about what that DOJ report might reveal?"
"I'm here for a reason," Chief Sullivan said. "I'm here because my experience working in this area came from a department under a consent decree. We are going to work very hard. I will continue to work hard to make this the very best department in the country. Whether that's around use of force issues, whether it's around First Amendment issues, or whether it's around stops, searches, and arrests. All of those items are very important and we are going to continue to push forward and lean into this."
And what about Chief Sullivan's future with the department? Currently, he is serving the city as interim chief. We asked if he would take the job if it were offered to him to stay on as the official chief, he didn't provide a yes or a no but said it's something he would have to discuss with the City Manager as well as his wife and family.
