A police official in Arizona has been placed on administrative leave after showing up armed to a student-led protest and provoking an altercation that led to the arrest of a teenage girl. The officer told fellow police who arrived on the scene that he attended the students’ immigration rights protest with the intent of acting as an agent provocateur, according to a news report.

Dusten Mullen, a sergeant with the Phoenix Police Department, has been suspended with pay pending an internal review of his conduct at a protest at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, on January 30, according to Phoenix Police Chief Matthew Giordano.

“As law enforcement professionals, we are held to higher standards of conduct — both in and out of uniform,” Giordano said. “When we fall short, we must be accountable, and we will not tolerate actions which undermine the trust the community has placed in the Department.”

Fox 10 Phoenix, the outlet to first identify Mullen, reported that Mullen told Chandler Police Department officers on the scene that he was there in the hopes of getting a rise out of the kids that would then allow the local cops to cuff them.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    30
    ·
    18 hours ago

    Mullen, who in 2025 drew a salary of $336,518, is suspended with pay and was required to surrender his badge and gun pending the outcome of the investigation, according to a spokesperson for the department.

    Fucking hell. These guys are not worth a third of that salary, even when they’re working and not just on vacation as a reward for being extra shitty.

    • glitch1985@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      10 hours ago

      Yeah but at least we can all sleep comfortably knowing this guy is not collecting as much OT as he regularly would while they determine he did nothing wrong.

    • kreskin@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      16 hours ago

      suspended with pay

      = paid trip to disneyland. They really went hard on him didnt they. Meanwhile, the teenage girl he “provacateured” was arrested because of his actions.

    • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      17 hours ago

      The state wants more like him, so they pay for it. Let it sink in. The state encourages this type of behavior.