Federal consent decree monitors routinely abuse their power and authority while the US Department of Justice (DOJ) turns a blind eye. DOJ forces cities to hire a for-profit monitor to oversee their consent decrees. The annual cost to taxpayers can be between $1 million to $4 million each year. DOJ approved monitors are typically attorneys who have close political ties with the federal government. Monitors do not usually have any knowledge or experience in public safety, running a police department or developing law enforcement policies or training programs. Consent decrees typically more than a decade because monitors and their DOJ handlers interfere with policing practices reducing officer morale and leading to staffing shortages. The fewer officers a department has, the longer it takes to comply with all the onerous requirements in the consent decree.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has been under a federal consent decree since 2008. The County has spent $240 million trying to comply with the consent decree, but the monitor says they are still falling short and are not in compliance. The monitor lives across the country in North Carolina so the County has obtained office space for him in Phoenix at a cost of nearly $100,000 per year. However, no one from the monitoring team has been to Phoenix since January 2020. The monitor claims that he cannot travel to Phoenix because of the pandemic, but that doesn’t stop him from billing the county $200,000 a month for his time.
The DOJ attorneys in the Civil Rights Division and their for-profit monitors are engaged in activities that would likely meet the definition of organized crime under RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). DOJ uses threats and extortion to force cities to sign consent decrees when there is no evidence of a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing. DOJ then selects the monitor who will extract millions of dollars from local taxpayers without providing anything of value in return. The monitor will determine how long the consent decree lasts and so they drag on the charade as long as possible. Their reports are full of false and misinterpreted data designed to make the police department look bad.
Anyone who has been harmed by organized crime can file a civil RICO action against the individuals involved. It is time for the people in consent decree cities/counties to stand up and say enough is enough.
Bob Scales
CEO, Police Strategies
