MESA, Ariz. – The Latest on the videos showing use of force by officers with the Mesa Police Department in Arizona. (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
A suburban Phoenix police chief says he has hired a former county attorney to investigate the use of force in two separate videotaped arrests that show officers treating a 15-year-old boy roughly and punching a 33-year-old man.
Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista said Friday the videos of the two May incidents left him "angry and deeply disappointed."
Former Maricopa County attorney Richard Romley says his review will take several months and is not intended to determine if any officers should be charged.
In addition, his review is unrelated to separate internal investigations underway in both incidents.
Officers involved in both cases are on administrative leave with pay. Prosecutors in Maricopa County will decide if charges should be filed.
Batista says he also asked the Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum to conduct an independent review of cases involving force by Mesa police over the past three years.
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12:20 p.m.
A suburban Phoenix police chief says he'll talk about what actions he plans after a new probe his department has launched into the use of force against a suspect, this time a 15-year-old boy.
The department says Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista on Friday afternoon will discuss policies, procedures and training amid the investigation into the May 17 arrest of a teenager on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A police spokesman says two officers have been placed on administrative leave after a review of body-worn camera footage showed the youth being treated roughly.
Body camera videos in another recent case show Mesa officers punching a 33-year-old man during his May 23 arrest. Five officers were placed on leave in that incident.
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