Phoenix City Council member handcuffed at fire scene. Fire department confirms battalion chief allowed him access where police did not.

(Thanks to Gary Sharp at FireSpecialOps.com for the heads-up on this story.)

By Scott Wong and Michael Ferraresi, The Arizona Republic:

The Phoenix Police Department’s internal affairs unit is investigating an incident early Friday in which an officer temporarily handcuffed City Councilman Michael Johnson as the councilman tried to check on a neighbor whose South Phoenix home was on fire.

Police Chief Jack Harris and City Manager David Cavazos scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference at City Hall to discuss the incident, which is being investigated by the police department’s Professional Standards Bureau.

Johnson, a former police officer and homicide detective, said in an interview Friday morning that he believed the police “abused their power” in the incident.

The officer who cuffed him has not been identified.

“Where there is misconduct or perceived misconduct, we as a police department would take this very seriously,” said Assistant Chief Jeri Williams, who oversees all patrols on the south side of the city. “If this had been anyone else in the community, we would have PSB investigate this as well.”

“I don’t believe the officer recognized the councilman,” Williams said. “The arresting officer perceived (that) the councilman wasn’t doing what he asked him to do, but (the councilman) was told by Fire that he could speak to occupants of the residence.”

Phoenix Fire confirmed that department officials gave Williams the go-ahead to proceed into the fire scene to check on the neighbor.

The Phoenix Fire Department received a call at 4:07 a.m. that flames were coming from a single-family residence near 18th Street and Darrel Road, north of Baseline Road. The fire was extinguished at about 4:30 a.m.

Somewhere within that time frame, Johnson, a 21-year veteran of the Phoenix police force, was woken up by the lights and sirens and walked outside to investigate. He was told not to get near his neighbor’s home but to stand in front of his own house, which he said he did.

When a fire battalion chief arrived, Johnson said, he asked if he could approach the blaze two houses down. He said he was concerned about his neighbors’ safety. According to Johnson, he was given permission by the battalion chief to move closer.

Two police officers were standing nearby as Johnson approached. According to the councilman’s version of events, one of two began pushing him back with a hand to the chest. Johnson said he pleaded with the officer, saying he had permission from a battalion chief to be there and didn’t understand why he was being pushed away.

“The other officer was calling him by his first name, telling him to calm down,” Johnson asserted.

As Johnson pleaded his case, he said, the officer told him, “That’s not the way we do it out here,” then put him face down on the ground and cuffed him.

“I was just trying to check on my neighbor. I wasn’t interfering with anything,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who is recovering from prostate surgery, was left face down in handcuffs for roughly 10 minutes until several other fire department officials approached and recognized him, prompting his release. When police asked him to stand, Johnson said he told them he could not because of his recent surgery.

Mariama Thiam-Demba, 58, a neighbor who has lived in the area for more than 10 years, corroborated Johnson’s version of events.

“He came out of his house to see what’s happening in the neighborhood, and he was accosted by police. It’s not right,” Thiam-Demba said.

Johnson, who spent part of his police career covering the same precinct where he lives, later was joined at his home by Williams and Cavazos.

“I requested, and the chief requested, that we investigate what happened,” Williams said.