Maricopa County is the latest to jump onto the trend of asking Department of Justice (DOJ) leaders to reduce federal oversight of police departments.
Thomas Galvin, chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS), sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday asking for her to roll back the DOJ consent decree on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and end the agency’s court case against the Phoenix Police Department (PPD).
“All of us who prioritize public safety and support for law enforcement take heart that Pam Bondi is now our top law enforcement official,” said Galvin. “The people of Maricopa County have spent over $300 million complying with the federal court’s orders.”
Chairman Galvin Letter to Attorney General Bondi on Priority of Public Safety in Maricopa County: My colleagues and I share a commitment to effective policing. Federal oversight is an affront to federalism. Please see below for my letter to @AGPamBondi https://t.co/cJX2EQ6zni
— Thomas Galvin: Chairman, Maricopa County BOS (@ThomasGalvin) April 15, 2025
The $300 million has gone toward compliance efforts to rectify alleged practices of racial profiling during traffic stops. Complaints that led to the lawsuit and then a consent decree against the MSCO emerged over a decade ago following immigration enforcement policies enacted by former Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Galvin reported the latest court order associated with the consent decree directed an audit on the $300 million spent on compliance.
“In a particularly rich twist, the latest of those orders expands the court’s power even further to audit the County’s compliance costs. Apparently, the court is as appalled by its spending as taxpayers are. And with good reason,” stated Galvin. “Every dollar the County spends on the court’s moving targets is a dollar it cannot use for law enforcement or any other public service.”
Under President Joe Biden, the DOJ launched an investigation into Phoenix Police in 2021 which it announced, last summer, yielded findings of numerous alleged civil rights violations.
Galvin’s recent letter is a repeat of a similar request made at a higher level of authority almost a month ago.
Congressman Abe Hamadeh already asked President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI director Kash Patel to rescind the DOJ report on Phoenix Police.
This latest act from Galvin and MCBOS conflicts with their perspective on the subject of rescinding consent decrees last year.
When Biden’s DOJ announced its report on Phoenix police last summer, Galvin did not express confidence in the prevention or rescission of consent decrees under any circumstance. Galvin said the consent decrees and DOJ oversight were “nearly impossible” to undo.
“Unfortunately, we know here at Maricopa County that it is nearly impossible to end DOJ oversight, even when the right changes have been implemented,” said Galvin. “After more than 15 years, and almost $300 million spent thus far in costs, the compliance benchmarks keep moving further away and court-appointed monitors continue to cash a paycheck.”
The respective current and potential consent decrees for MSCO and PPD may find a resolution sooner rather than later.
Law enforcement for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico reached a deal with the DOJ to end their consent decree following a petition over the weekend from Republican New Mexico Senate leaders. Like MCSO, Albuquerque police were under the agreement for about a decade.
Prior to Bondi taking office, acting DOJ leadership appointed by Trump issued internal memos halting civil rights litigation and ordering reconsideration of consent decrees undertaken recently by the Biden administration.
A federal judge paused the emerging consent decree between the DOJ and Minneapolis, Minnesota police to allow for Bondi and her team to review.
This certainly should end, Galvin’s obvious move notwithstanding.
Having ‘federal oversight’ over state/local police is not only unconstitutional, its truly a fox/henhouse thing.