Phoenix police chief sidelined in flap over kidnapping figures
Remember the reports about how Arizonans have to enforce the immigration laws, because the federal government wasn’t doing it’s job? They may have been inflated:
Jack Harris was removed as head of the Phoenix Police Department by city officials Thursday while they conduct a 60-day review to determine whether his agency submitted inaccurate kidnapping statistics to the federal government.
City Manager David Cavazos said preliminary findings from an internal Police Department audit released Monday prompted him to strip Harris of his day-to-day control of police operations. Harris will keep his position as Phoenix public-safety manager, working within the City Manager’s Office.
Critics of Harris claim instances of kidnapping in Phoenix were inflated by the Police Department to increase the city’s chances of winning federal stimulus money. Those complaints led to a federal review.
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Allegations about the credibility of kidnapping figures used to land a $1.7 million federal grant to combat border-related crime had circulated for months, and political pressure from critics on the City Council and a police union was growing. Cavazos had remained silent in recent days as speculation about Harris’ fate increased, but Cavazos finally spoke out Thursday.
“After many assurances from the Police Department that the numbers were accurate, it was unfortunate for me to learn on Monday that some of the kidnapping statistics were mislabeled,” Cavazos said. “I am very sorry that this has happened.”
Along with the changing of the guard, Cavazos announced Phoenix will launch another review of the department’s reporting processes and the 2008 kidnapping figures. The report cited more than 350 cases, but the internal review found that some reports labeled as kidnappings were not.
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The city’s review is expected to be completed within two months. During that time, Harris will no longer work at Phoenix police headquarters but will retain his title as public-safety manager with the same annual salary of $193,377.
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I spent a few hours in 2009 trying to find a reliable source for the kidnapping figures. This may have something to do with my inability to do so.