Civil Service Board
A Question Of
TRUST
THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD ’ S BROKEN PROCESS AND ITS IMPACT ON FAIRNESS , TRANSPARENCY , AND OFFICER RIGHTS
BY DARRELL KRIPLEAN , PRESIDENT , PLEA
We find ourselves at a critical juncture regarding the integrity of our Civil
Service Board , especially following recent events that raise serious questions about the fairness of personnel discipline appeal hearings . On November 14 , 2024 , I attended the final stages of a dismissal appeal hearing involving one of our members , and it revealed profound issues with how the Board operates , compelling us to reflect on the broader implications for us all .
Months before this board hearing , the Board ’ s duly qualified and delegated Hearing Officer conducted an exhaustive two-day evidentiary hearing , receiving testimony from key expert witnesses representing the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association ( PLEA ) and the police department . The intricacies of this case required attentive deliberation , as both sides presented evidence related to the officer ' s conduct during a critical incident .
Upon release , the Hearing Officer ’ s report was troubling for the police department . It criticized the Department for using “ the benefit of 20 / 20 hindsight to judge the reasonableness of the incident ,” a perspective that starkly contradicts departmental policy and the Supreme Court ’ s findings in Graham v . Connor . The report also called into question
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