Phoenix approves billion dollar police budget despite public protest 

PHOENIX (CN) — Against strong public opposition, the Phoenix City Council voted to add $46 million to the police department’s billion dollar budget on the same day the Department of Justice revoked a probe finding a pattern and practice of civil rights violations.

Dozens of Phoenix residents came to the city council meeting Wednesday afternoon to lament the city’s financial support of the police department while it reduces funding for social services like parks and libraries.

“Phoenix PD points guns at children 400 times per year, the youngest being two years old,” a speaker named Monica told the council, referencing a recent study conducted by the Arizona Republic. “These are the people keeping us safe?”

Regardless, the council voted 8 to 1 to pass the $2.2 billion dollar total budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The budget includes a $29,618,000 increase for the fire department and an extra $4,576,000 for homelessness services.

In order to make up for a projected deficit in the coming year, the city cut $24 million from the general fund, including slashing $2 million from parks and recreation, $249,000 from the libraries and $175,000 from the city’s Office of Arts and Culture.

“While we rubber stamp yet another massive increase to the police budget, we are defunding needed quality of life amenities while handing hundreds of millions to a department of civil rights abuses,” Phoenix resident Nicole Rodriguez said. “That’s not public safety, that’s moral failure.”

In the last three years, the city’s police department has overspent its allocated budget by more than $5 million, Councilmember Anna Hernandez pointed out during the meeting. City staff explained that a staffing shortage of nearly 600 officers requires the department to pay overtime to the officers making up the hours, but Hernandez questioned the necessity and accountability of using overtime pay.

“As a sister who lost my little brother to police violence, I must stand by my values and cast a no vote on this budget,” the former state senator and activist told the rest of the council.

Hernandez made a motion to amend the budget, diverting $9 million from the police budget to be put toward emergency housing vouchers and the cut social programs. The rest of the council ignored the suggestion, moving straight to a vote to approve the original budget

Last year, President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice completed an investigation into the Phoenix Police, finding that the department uses excessive force, racially profiles Black, Hispanic and Native American citizens and mistreats the homeless population by taking and destroying property without permission.

Findings in the 126-page report include an incident in 2021 in which police created a fake gang in order to detain and charge protesters.

But the DOJ, now under the “law and order” command of President Donald Trump, rescinded its findings Wednesday morning, dropping the investigation completely.

Wednesday afternoon, public speakers hadn’t forgotten the content of the investigation.

“Rewarding another $46 million to a corrupt organization that was found to use excessive and unjustified deadly force is highly unethical,” Eddie Nunez said. “As a Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Iraq, I am appalled by the engagement tactics used by our police force against our own people when we didn’t even treat the so-called enemy in a warzone like this.”

Phoenix residents also complained that the city hasn’t done enough to fund heat relief efforts, especially in the underfunded Maryvale neighborhood, where average temperatures rise to six degrees higher than the surrounding downtown area. Activists asked council members in May to add budget items to reflect these needs, but no such changes were made.

Finally, residents complained that the city still has not passed an ordinance giving eviction victims the right to city-appointed legal counsel, which would keep more people off the streets in a time in which heat-related deaths remain above 600 per year.

The budget does include $1.2 million in eviction assistance funding via the American Rescue Plan Act.

Later in the evening, the council rejected a petition to eliminate the so-called “suicide lanes": reverse lanes on 7th Avenue and 7th Street used to increase traffic flow during morning and afternoon rush hours. The middle lane on each road is used for southbound traffic going into Phoenix from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and used for northbound traffic leaving the city during the afternoon rush hours.

While a 2021 third-party study found that eliminating the lanes would slow traffic flow and increase commute times by 40%, citizens say the outdated, confusing lanes lead only to increased accidents and reduced patronage of roadside businesses.

“Every day at rush hour, our neighborhoods turn into highways. Not by choice, but by a decision made in 1979," a public speaker named Theresa told the council. “These lanes are outdated, confusing and harmful to our citizens and businesses.”

Multiple business owners said citizens avoid their establishments along “the sevens” because the streets become so dangerous during peak traffic hours.

“Choose people over payment, communities over commutes and public safety over minutes saved,” a speaker named Tabatha told the council.

Still, the council voted to reject the petition, choosing instead to conduct a more comprehensive study city staff says will conclude around Fall 2026.

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