Sources: Phoenix police chief to be fired

[JonLP24]

Source: AZ Central

Sources at Phoenix City Hall have confirmed that Phoenix Police Chief Daniel V. Garcia will be fired. The decision came moments after the chief held a press conference demanding a new two-year contract.

The city is expected to hold a 4:30 p.m. press conference today during which officials will announce the firing. The press conference will be carried live here on azcentral.

Phoenix City Councilman Michael Nowakowski told The Republic that City Manager Ed Zuercher is terminating Garcia for actions that amount to insubordination. Garcia met with Zuercher before holding his press conference. During that meeting, Zuercher asked Garcia not to make statements, but Garcia went ahead with his media event, Nowakowski said.

The chief's demand for a new contract came amid a barrage of union attacks, a city councilman's public call for his ouster and a city reeling from a controversial officer-involved shooting. Garcia fired back at his critics today by demanding a two-year contract to remain at the helm of the department.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/12/18/garcia-contract-accountability/20605707/

[Downwinder]

1. Now they can disband the PD and let Sheriff Joe take it over.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

2. Works for me.

[Blue_Tires]

3. What the fucking hell?

If this chief can be fired for mere "insubordination", how the hell does Arpaio stay employed??

[Omaha Steve]

4. Isn't he VOTED in?

That would be it.

[JonLP24]

5. Sheriff Joe keeps getting re-elected

I don't know how he can be indirectly fired other than that.

[Blue_Tires]

6. I thought there were a number of ethical issues that could have gotten him removed from office?

[JonLP24]

10. I wish there was

They have plenty of evidence on that front to get rid of him but he's still there for some reason.

[24601]

7. You're right. I looked up the wiki on sheriffs and in Arizona they are elected like in most states.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriffs_in_the_United_States

As for Joe Arpaio, "The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is the currently the largest sheriff's office in Arizona with a total of 763 sworn officers and 2,735 civilian employees as of 2007."

[ArizonaLib]

17. Those election returns are always brutal!

My dad once told me that most of this state's counties used to be pretty much run by Sheriff Joe types - in other words, it used to be worse. Just voting and waiting patiently.

[Cha]

8. K&R! thanks Jon

[Trillo]

9. So they can fire a cop when they want.

When a cop shoots a citizen, nothing much happens, though sometimes there's a little handwringing. If a cop talks back to a superior, however, they are fired.

I guess this means cops are supposed to shoot citizens.

[cstanleytech]

11. Sounds more like a typical situtation of telling your boss off thinking they cant replace you to

find out that yes they can.

[former9thward]

12. That is not why he was fired.

The police union and RW members of the city council have been demanding he be fired for a couple months now. The Chief fired a cop who had been arrested for a DUI and when he was fired he killed himself.

[cstanleytech]

13. Mmm still might not have been a good idea to be demanding a new contract

if he was on thin ice with them already.

[former9thward]

14. Yeah, but of course we don't know what was going on behind the scenes.

Maybe it was at the point that the Chief decided it needed to be settled either one way or the other.

[SoapBox]

15. Another "mess" in Arizona.

Whatever.

[ArizonaLib]

16. The unions were in the process of no confidence vote

This chief was hired from Dallas, TX (we need law enforcement help from TX?) and was providing "solutions" to problems that did not exist (criminals impersonating police officers) in the form of replacing light blue, and other weather sensible uniforms with all black, and dress pant type uniforms, even in the 110+ degree weather. He was also rolling back 4 day work weeks to 5 (many officers commute through awful Phoenix area traffic), among other things. Yes, in Arizona you don't need a reason to fire workers - they have a "right to work" in this state.

Phx PD unions (officers and the sergeants/lieutenants unions) have been becoming more active as the Goldwater Institute has been targeting their compensation (wages and pension - which is separate from the city's). Each time the contracts come up for renewal the officers and management (sergeants and lieutenants) give a little more (death from a thousand cuts).

This chief alienated himself from several city council members, and his subordinates - this article reads as though he was trying to go around normal contract processes in an effort to shield (no pun intended) himself from consequences which accompany city council accountability.

We want the highest level of professionalism of law enforcement here in Arizona - whether it's protecting officer safety, protecting civilians, or administration within their ranks. I don't want my children to be afraid of police - so far I have raised them to respect and rely on them. I know all police officers are human - don't get me wrong. I just want to post about this article.