On Oct. 1, new Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano issued a press release addressing a run of police shootings. Phoenix cops had shot and killed four people in a span of 41 days. During that stretch police also shot two other people who survived their injuries.
That run of shootings happened to coincide with the beginning of Giordano’s tenure, which started in mid-August. In his Oct. 1 message, the chief acknowledged the shootings and their effect on residents. “We understand how deeply concerning this is to our community and we share your concern,” he wrote. While noting that “every situation is different,” Giordano went on to outline several reforms he’d be instituting to curtail police shootings. Those included enhanced training on de-escalation, the expanded use of less-lethal weapons, and collaboration with the city’s civilian-led Office of Accountability and Transparency.
One day after Giordano’s message, his officers further proved the urgency of their chief’s reforms. In two separate incidents on Oct. 2, Phoenix officers shot two people, killing one. In one instance, the department tacitly admitted that the victim, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, was unarmed…