PHOENIX (CBS5) -
In an internal 38-page Phoenix Police Department report, summaries from every policy infraction from August 2010 through August 2012 are listed along with the disciplinary action taken by the department's Professional Standards Bureau. Listed are 174 total infractions over the two years and exactly what the PSB did to discipline each employee.
"There is a structure (to our internal disciplinary action)," said Sgt. Trent Crump.
"We basically have what's called a disciplinary review board," he continued.
It's the members of that six-person board who suggest how to discipline each employee.
"A recommendation is made by that group to the police chief and the police chief ultimately decides," he continued.
Some cases had obvious outcomes, like the department employee fired for sending a video of himself masturbating to an undercover cop posing as a 14-year-old girl. That happened back in May 2011.
However, when it comes to other infractions, there is a lot of play with who gets what punishment. In one case, an employee was given a written warning for failing to report involvement in a domestic assault. Another employee faced a full-week suspension for cursing at a supervisor.
"We're never going to rubber stamp discipline in this organization," said Crump.
That's because Crump said nearly every infraction is different. They may initially look the same, but once investigated, they could be incredibly different.
"A domestic violence could be because I break my son or daughter's cell phone or it could be because I beat my wife," explained Crump.
Though the department said they will continue to review each and every infraction independent of one another, the actual punishments - now capped at a one-week suspension - are likely to change.
"The new police chief is very set on increasing the number of hours for infractions that our officers may be engaging in. Clearly, the level that we have been using has not been effective with the problems we've had," said Crump.
The department is considering changing the maximum infraction penalty from a five-day suspension to a six-week suspension.
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