The Brief
- The Mesa Police Department has taken over the city’s park ranger unit following a misconduct investigation into allegations of racial slurs, aggressive enforcement, and the use of “goon squad” patches.
- New accountability measures include mandatory body-worn cameras and updated tracking software as the department seeks to hire eight more rangers to reach a full staff of 14.
PHOENIX – The Mesa Police Department has taken control of the city’s park ranger unit following an internal investigation into allegations of racial slurs, aggressive enforcement targeting Black and homeless individuals, and a failure to report a seized handgun.
What we know:
The misconduct probe, which began after three rangers were accused of unprofessional behavior, revealed some staff referred to themselves as the “goon squad” and even used a specific patch to identify the group. The fallout left the unit with only six rangers after four resigned and one retired during the investigation.…