Phoenix cop indicted for causing wreck while going 50 mph over limit

The Phoenix Police Department announced on Wednesday that one of its officers has been indicted by a grand jury for driving an estimated 50 miles over the speed limit and causing an accident while on duty.

Despite declaring in its announcement that “the Phoenix Police Department is committed to accountability and transparency with our community,” the department has not shared the name or the badge number of the indicted officer.

Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Lorraine Fernandez declined to identify the officer to Phoenix New Times but did say that he remains employed by the department. Fernandez added that the decision to issue discipline, beyond the outcome of the criminal case, “remains a part of an internal investigation.”

The collision took place on March 14 of this year near Buckeye Road and an Interstate 17 access road, police said. After an internal investigation, the department submitted criminal charges for the officer to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The county attorney’s office did not respond to questions about the indictment, including about the officer’s name.

“This is a serious matter. Our officers are expected to uphold the same laws they enforce, and when standards are not met, we have an obligation to act,” Fernandez wrote in a press release. “Our responsibility to the community requires that we address this situation openly and directly.”

ABC15’s Dave Biscobing tweeted an internal message sent by Chief Matt Giordano to the department’s officers explaining the decision to hold the officer — whom he also failed to name — accountable.

“We recognize this news is hard to hear. We know that this affects not only the officer involved, but also his family, friends, and colleagues,” Giordano said. “This decision was not made lightly. As officers, we understand the risks, responsibilities, and scrutiny that come with this profession. Accountability is the foundation to earning the trust of our community and each other.”

Rough start

Giordano took over as chief in mid-August and promised transparency and accountability, though he has struggled to convince concerned community members that the department can deliver. A brutal, thorough report released by the U.S. Department of Justice last year found that the department’s officers regularly committed civil rights violations, including discriminating against people of color, using excessive and unnecessarily deadly force and arresting unhoused people without cause.

Under the Biden administration, the DOJ pushed to impose independent oversight of the department, but Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and other city councilmembers pushed back, arguing that the city was making strides in implementing reforms. The city recently adopted a new use-of-force policy and is instituting a youth interaction policy, which it lacked before. But it has also undercut the chief of its Office of Accountability and Transparency and watered down its civilian review board. With the election of Donald Trump last November, any possibility of federally enforced reform evaporated.

Just after Giordano took the helm, a streak of police shootings shook Phoenix. Police killed six people between Aug. 19 and Oct. 11. The Aug. 31 killing of 36-year-old Efrain Hidalgo — who was stopped for a bicycle infraction and shot after because he had a knife, though police never commanded him to drop it — enraged and concerned activists.

Midway through the current streak, when Phoenix officers had killed four people in 41 days, Giordano issued a press release announcing new policies and initiatives to promote de-escalation tactics and training for dealing with people in behavioral crises, among others.

“We understand how deeply concerning this is to our community and we share your concern,” Giordano said in the statement. “We remain committed to continuous improvement. Policing demands courage, split-second decision making, and compassion in the toughest moments.”