Starting Monday, July 1, eight police agencies across the East Valley, including the Queen Creek Police Department, will use the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team (EVCIRT) to investigate any critical force incident that occurs within the jurisdiction of participating agencies.
EVCIRT includes members from Apache Junction, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale and Tempe police departments and was created in response to the passing of ARS 41-1762 (HB 2650), which will take full effect on July 1, 2025.
A critical force incident is defined as either an officer-involved shooting or any incident involving the use of force resulting in death or serious bodily injury of another person. This applies to officers while either on or off duty while acting under the color of authority.
When a critical incident occurs, the EVCIRT will be activated. A representative from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office or Pinal County Attorney’s Office will also be on scene to observe and ensure the investigation is conducted in a complete, thorough, objective and transparent manner. The Public Information Officer (PIO) for the agency involved in the critical incident will handle media inquiries as they do now.
For example, if there is a critical force incident in Mesa, members from Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale or Tempe will respond under EVCIRT to investigate it (Apache Junction, Paradise Valley and Queen Creek will initially serve as co-case agents for all lead investigations). The Mesa PIO would still be the point of contact for media inquiries.
Creation of the EVCIRT will allow for greater transparency and accountability as agencies involved in critical force incidents will not be directly involved in the criminal investigation; however, the involved agency will still conduct its own internal investigations.
