Phoenix Rally Planned for Michelle Cusseaux, Sandra Bland, and Michael Brown

Using the popular hashtags #SayHerName and #BlackLivesMatter, people across the country are expected to take to the streets this weekend and demand accountability for, and attention to, the all-to-frequent instances of police violence against black Americans. Rallies will be held in many cities all weekend as citizens demand a response…

Poor Living Conditions Sparked Kingman Prison Riots

A three-day riot at an Arizona private prison that sent 13 people to the hospital and led to the relocation of more than 1,000 inmates earlier this month was driven, in part, by poor living conditions, according to the prisoner rights organization Middle Ground Prison Reform. In a letter delivered…

12 Explanations for Arizona’s Child-Welfare Problems

A new report on child welfare in Arizona reveals some startling statistics that help explain why the state’s child welfare system is overwhelmed, and why an unprecedented number of children are in foster care or group homes. This report, technically a supplement to the independent audit conducted by the University…

Death Penalty Upheld for Homer Roseberry Despite Ineffective Counsel

The Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 2003 death-penalty decision for Homer Ray Roseberry, an Arizona resident convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Fred Fottler. (In October, 2000, Roseberry agreed to transport about 1000 pounds of marijuana in his motor home for a drug cartel, secretly planning to steal…

Prison Killer Who Severed Penis of Victim Sentenced to Death

An Arizona prison inmate who sliced off the penis of a seriously mentally ill inmate before killing him has been sentenced to death. Jasper Rushing, 45, was already serving a 28-year prison sentence for the 2001 murder of his stepfather when he mutilated and beat to death his cellmate, 40-year-old…

Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week

At the end of the week, we bring you a roundup of visitors to the Fourth Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix. To be considered for Mugshots of the Week, get arrested, strike a pose, and we’ll take care of the rest. This week: Tyra’s always telling us to be fierce…

Arizona Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws Unconstitutional, Says ACLU Lawsuit

The Arizona American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court this morning alleging that Arizona’s Civil Asset Forfeiture laws are unconstitutional. These statutes give law enforcement agencies the power to seize personal property if they suspect it was used in criminal activity, and then either to keep it…

Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley Fail to Address #BlackLivesMatter

During what was intended to be a town hall style discussion featuring two Democratic presidential candidates, quickly shifted gears when two women from the #BlackLivesMatter campaign got up on stage and tried to get former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to address “structural racism” in this…

Former Phoenix Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting a Minor

Disgraced former Phoenix Police Officer Justin LaClere changed his plea this week and admitted he was guilty of both luring a minor for sexual exploitation and then having sexual intercourse with her. Scottsdale Police arrested 32-year-old LaClere, a seven-year veteran of the force, in January 2014 after receiving information that…

AZ’s Holiday Weekend DUI Stats Weren’t Pretty

The DUI figures for the 4th of July weekend are in, and the results are, well, sobering: 443 people were arrested for a DUI between Friday and Sunday —151 of which had a blood alcohol content of .15 or greater. (To put that in perspective, with a BAC that high,…

Department of Child Safety Audit Report Will Be Released Today

The  long-awaited independent audit of the Department of Child Safety will be made public sometime this morning. It’s unclear what the verdict will be, but if recent statistics and news reports about the downward trends of the agency are any indication, there’s likely to be a lot of constructive criticism…

Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week

At the end of the week, we bring you a roundup of visitors to the Fourth Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix. To be considered for Mugshots of the Week, get arrested, strike a pose, and we’ll take care of the rest. This week: It’s officially summer! 10) Booked on suspicion…

Karen Finley, Ex-CEO of Redflex, Pleads Guilty to Bribery

Karen Finley, former CEO of the Phoenix-based Redflex Traffic Systems, pleaded guilty today in federal court to an eight-year bribery-and-fraud scheme that helped the company retain photo-enforcement contracts with two Ohio cities. Finley, 55, of Cave Creek, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Terence P. Kemp of the Southern District…

Former Scottsdale Bar Bouncer Arrested for Urinating on Mail

The former head of security for the Rockbar in Scottsdale has been arrested in connection with a June 3 video of a man caught urinating through a mail slot. David Azari, 30, was arrested at 9:25 a.m. on Thursday and booked on suspicion of misdemeanor criminal damage, disorderly conduct, urinating…

Local Vigil for Charleston Shooting Victims to Be Held Friday Morning

Tomorrow morning at the Phillips Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Phoenix, prominent civil rights activist Reverend Reginald D. Walton is organizing a multi-faith vigil for the nine victims of last night’s shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. “We cannot idly stand by as one [in] our community is under attack,”…