The Mesa Police Department has officially taken the reins of the city’s Park Ranger unit after a months-long misconduct scandal in which some rangers dubbed themselves a “Goon Squad” and were accused of rough and racially charged tactics in city parks. City officials say the shakeup is supposed to bring tighter oversight, upgraded tech and a fresh round of hiring to start patching up public trust.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the move to put the unit under Mesa Police oversight took effect in April 2025 and comes with a big change: mandatory body-worn cameras for ranger interactions. Police Chief Dan Butler told the station that “accountability is really important to us” and said the rules on when rangers must activate those cameras will match the standards used for sworn officers.
How the ‘Goon Squad’ scandal came to light
Police records and local reporting show some rangers used racial slurs, sported a custom “Goon Squad” patch and carried out aggressive enforcement that focused heavily on people experiencing homelessness. The misconduct probe kicked off after a newly hired ranger reported finding an unreported handgun in a colleague’s desk.
Arizona’s Family reported that the ranger, identified in local coverage as Joshua Amado, was arrested on a felony weapons allegation and later resigned. As the investigation unfolded, several rangers were placed on administrative leave and others resigned or retired, leaving the unit seriously short-staffed.
Leadership fallout and the outside review
An independent review by law firm Pierce Coleman tore into the unit’s culture and supervision, flagging unauthorized enforcement, questionable training exercises and failures in leadership. The findings helped trigger resignations among senior staff in the parks department…