PHOENIX – There has been a coordinated effort between Valley police departments and the FBI over the past year to gather information about local protesters from Black Lives Matter, according to an audio recording obtained by ABC15.
During a meeting on Oct. 15, Phoenix police officers described to some FBI agents how information flows from an informant to various Valley law enforcement agencies.
The meeting was set up so that the FBI could conduct an interview with Riley Behrens, a protester who agreed to provide information to local law enforcement and federal officials about regular protesters and activists who organized events.
“Riley provided information to (Phoenix) PD through Gilbert PD,” said an unknown Phoenix official. “Gilbert PD distributes the information to Phoenix and Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert.”
Protesters and their lawyers have long suspected that police and prosecutors have been watching certain protesters and targeting leading activists for arrests.
In some cases, the camera footage shows officers clearly identifying certain protesters in the crowd before moving in to specifically arrest them.
Police reports from various criminal cases also mention intelligence information about protests, but do not discuss where the information came from.
During the meeting, FBI agents gave an overview of how their informant process works, including how they protect sources and investigate ‘conspiracies’.
‘You will get a number and another name. Every time you give us information, nothing goes in your real name. So there are reports that will be generated if you give us information, it is difficult to tie it to you, ‘said an agent.
He later continued, ‘If you still find yourself as part of the group, and they come up with a plan, or what we would call a conspiracy to do something, we can give you authority to continue that conspiracy and not charged. ”
The date of the FBI meeting was two days before a group of protesters were arrested and eventually charged as a criminal street gang.
The charges, which have since been dismissed, were based on gross exaggerations and lies submitted to a grand jury by Phoenix officers and prosecutors in Maricopa County.
Both Phoenix and the Maricopa County Attorneys’ Office have investigated outside misconduct.
The recording of the October 15 meeting further contradicts the demands of the Gilbert police who underestimated the role of their department in protests coming from Phoenix.
Earlier, ABC15 exposed footage showing Gilbert Police Detective Terry Burchett helping a retired Phoenix detective set up an interview with Behrens.
The detectives’ goal at the meeting was to “protect” officers and a prosecutor entangled in the scandal.
The Maricopa County Attorneys’ Office is now investigating the clandestine meeting.
[Editor’s note: This report is part of an ongoing series of ABC15 investigative reports called “Politically Charged.” The series can be found at ABC15.com/protests. Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at [email protected]. ABC15 is not publishing the recordings of the March 4th, 2021 and October 15, 2020 meetings because they are the subject of ongoing reporting.]