While the issues under investigation are serious, Garland was not eager to be confrontational with the police or the city.Garland stated that Phoenix Mayor Gallego, Police Chief Jeri Wilkins were informed about the investigation on Thursday and promised full cooperation.The attorney general stated that they also recognize our common goals.Garland stated that the Phoenix investigation will also examine how police handle people in mental health crisis, and whether property was illegally taken by the department from people who are homeless.According to the attorney general, some of the issues under investigation were caused by failures in society to address housing and mental health needs. Police will have to deal with these consequences.Garland stated that society is putting pressure on the police profession by asking law enforcement to solve a variety of social problems. We ask law enforcement officers too often to be the last and best option when addressing problems that are not within our criminal justice system. This makes it more difficult for police officers, leads to unnecessary confrontations with them and reduces safety.The Justice Department launched similar investigations into the police departments of Minneapolis and Louisville in April. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, told reporters that Justice Department officials had spoken to more than 1000 community members in these cities during their investigation into the tactics used there by police.Phoenix, the largest of the three cities currently under federal investigation, had the highest number of officer-involved shootings across the country in 2018.According to Arizona Republic statistics, 26 police shootings occurred in 2020. This is an increase of 15 from the previous year.Clarke didn't respond to a question regarding whether there was a last straw in Phoenix, which led to the Justice Department announcing the probe.Garland used his remarks to warn tenants about the dangers of evictions due to the imminent coronavirus pandemic. Although a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order restricting evictions expired at the end July, the Biden administration announced that it would issue a new ban on evictions, despite serious legal issues about its validity.The attorney general stated that mass evictions are a real threat to millions of tenants. The impact on families and individuals would be severe, and as the CDC stated, the public health impact would also be catastrophic, causing the spread of Covid-19 in affected communities.When POLITICO asked Garland if the Justice Department had discussed the legality and legitimacy of the new eviction moratorium with the White House, Garland didn't answer but promised to continue fighting for the policy in court. The attorney general did not answer a question about whether he believed the Supreme Court would affirm the latest measure. This was despite a June ruling that indicated that at least five justices thought that CDCs authority had been exceeded by an earlier version.The attorney general stated that the department vigorously defended CDC's statutory authority to issue an eviction ban and will continue to do so.Biden acknowledged legal uncertainty surrounding the new eviction ban later in the day at the White House.Although I cannot guarantee that the court will not rule against us, it is possible to at least appeal to the court to continue this for at least a month. The president stated that he hoped the process would continue for longer.Biden was asked if he believed the measure was constitutional. However, he said that he could not be certain how the justices would rule given the current Supreme Court makeup.It is, I believe, but in this court, who knows? He said.
