The “not guilty” verdict in the case of Chandler police officer, Dan Lovelace has been highly controversial. He was the first police officer in
modern Arizona history to face felony charges involving an on-duty shooting, and during his career has cost the city $5 million for the deaths of Dawn Rae Nelson and Bradley Downing III. The potential reinstatement of Lovelace to the Chandler police department has elicited even more controversy. If Lovelace is reinstated, a clear message will be sent to Valley citizens – police brutality, up to and including murder, will be tolerated by the police department.

While we oppose his reinstatement, keeping Lovelace off of the force will not solve the larger problem of police abuse. Though it is more likely to be covered by the news if someone dies as a result, police brutality happens all of the time. Merely focusing on “rogue” police officers who commit atrocious acts will not solve this problem. What is needed is greater community control of the police. Our organization, Phoenix Copwatch, is attempting to bring this about.

Phoenix Copwatch is a citizen's group formed to combat abuse by the police in our community. We use a variety of means to fight police abuse including community patrols, videotaping and community education. Copwatch is completely independent from the police, all other law enforcement agencies, the government and all political parties. Monitoring police activity is one way to hold officers accountable for their actions. We hope that the killing of Dawn Rae Nelson will motivate more people to keep an eye on police activity, either through Copwatch or through programs in their communities. Letting the police know that their actions will be under review by the community can help prevent future tragedies from occurring.

The members of Phoenix Copwatch would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Dawn Rae Nelson and to those of all others who have needlessly died at the hands of Valley police. We will continue to be in the streets, monitoring the police in an effort to bring an end to these deaths and to all forms of police brutality and harassment.

Phoenix Copwatch