“You are not going to shoot the mayor,” replied the sergeant.
“This is a promise,” Poulos supposedly replied.
The newspaper noted that some officers had slightly different memories.
“If they remove us, the first person on my list is the mayor,” recalled an officer.
“If they strip the police, I go to the mayor’s house and shoot her,” recalled another police officer.
Poulos reportedly told his sergeant after the meeting that he was just kidding about shooting the mayor.
“The comments, made as a joke or not, were taken seriously. The Phoenix Police Department asked the Tempe police to criminally investigate the case. The Phoenix police also opened an internal affairs investigation to determine whether Poulos violated some policy. This report has not been released, “reported the newspaper. “The Tempe police detective forwarded the report to the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office, which will decide whether to prosecute Poulos. The case has been subject to review of the charges of making a terrorist threat and threatening or intimidating someone, according to the police report . “
Poulos does not appear to be familiar with the mayor’s political positions.
“Poulos’ comments were made when some members of the City Council and defenders demanded transparency and accountability from the Phoenix Police Department in shootings and police misconduct. Although Gallego supported the creation of a civilian oversight office to review police shootings and allegations of excessive force, she didn’t support cutting the Police Department’s budget, ”the newspaper reported. “In fact, Gallego and the City Council voted to increase the Police Department’s budget in June and last year, when she became mayor.”
State Representative Norma Torres said the comments sound “like a terrorist threat”.
It looks like a terrorist threat to me, that threat should be investigated to the fullest! https://t.co/GQZPreQrHu– Rep. Norma Torres (@Rep. Norma Torres)1609210992.0
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