Summary: As law enforcement agencies nationwide enter Police Week tomorrow—a solemn time to honor officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, those injured in the line of duty, and the heroic acts that define real service—Phoenix VA Police leadership is choosing to "celebrate" differently. Behind closed doors, a different set of trophies is being handed out: for most misconduct complaints survived, most lawsuits settled, and most taxpayer dollars wasted protecting those who should have been removed years ago.

THE REAL PHOENIX VA POLICE WEEK LEADERSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY

While the rest of the country memorializes fallen heroes and Medal of Honor recipients, Phoenix VA Police leadership is busy handing out its own internal awards. Categories like Lieutenant of the Year, Sergeant of the Year, Investigator of the Year—and there is nothing wrong with that.

Fair enough. Every agency has its awards.

The Trophies That Don't Make the Program

But let's be honest about the real trophies being earned behind the scenes. The ones awarded to the “protected leadership officials” with Giglio-Impaired credibility, substantiated misconduct findings, and a documented pattern of Retaliation, Obstruction, and Tolerance—what has come to be known inside the Department of Veterans Affairs as "R.O.T."

This Isn't A Theory. It's A Record.

These aren't hypotheticals. The federal government has already confirmed racial discrimination at Phoenix VA Police. The VA's own Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication (OEDCA) substantiated a racially hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Leadership officials have been accused of making false or incomplete statements during federal EEO investigations—potential violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. See Ramirez v. Phoenix Veterans Affairs Police Department, No. 2:25-cv-00959-CDB, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108237 (D. Ariz. filed Mar. 24, 2025)

Untouchable, Unaccountable, Unbelievable

But somehow, they remain

• Protected. 
• Celebrated.
• Untouchable.

From R.O.T. To R.O.T.T.E.N.

And when R.O.T. is left unchecked, it doesn't stay contained. It deepens. It spreads. It becomes R.O.T.T.E.N. —Trauma, Enablement, Negligence resulting in "Toxicity" that poisons everything and everyone.

AND THE WINNERS ARE… (YOU FILL IN THE NOMINATIONS)

Feel free to nominate the same person for multiple categories. They often sweep the board.

• Most Sexual Harassment Complaints
• Most Racial Harassment Complaints
• Most EEO Complaints Filed
• Most Hostile Work Environment (HPP) Complaints
• Most Warnings for Inappropriate Behavior
• Most Misconduct Investigations Survived
• Most Substantiated Sexual Harassment Findings
• Most Substantiated Racial Harassment Findings
• Most Total Substantiated Findings of Misconduct
• Most OAWP Investigations Survived
• Most OIG Investigations Survived
• Most Lawsuits Settled Because of Their Behavior
• Most Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Litigation and Settlements
• Most Promotions Despite Credibility Issues
• Most Refusals to Fully Participate in EEO Programs and Investigations

IT'S A SHAME OSP AND PVAHCS ALLOW THIS

It's a national disgrace that the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness (OSP) and Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) "Executive Leadership" continue to allow Giglio-Impaired Officials—people with documented credibility problems, substantiated misconduct findings, and a clear pattern of retaliation—to remain in positions of power.

These are the same executives who have sat on emails, briefings, and substantiated EEO findings for years.

They Knew Because They Were Informed - Dozens Of Times

For years—until roughly 2022—Phoenix VA Police leadership handled complaints at the "lowest possible level." That meant informal conversations instead of documented investigations. Quiet words instead of paper trails. The goal was simple:

• Keep the official record clean. If nothing was written down, nothing officially happened. 

This allowed the department to tell oversight bodies it had "no complaints" while employees suffered in silence .

The Pattern They Didn't Want Documented

Female employees have reported enduring lewd comments, unwanted advances, and a culture of intimidation so severe that some changed their stated sexual orientation just to avoid management's unwanted attention. These were not isolated incidents. They were patterns. And for years, they were handled with a whispered warning and a closed door—never a formal complaint, never a paper trail.

The Wall Begins to Crack (2022)

By 2022, that began to change. Employees started documenting. They refused informal resolutions. They filed formal EEO complaints. And the system that had relied on silence suddenly had to respond on the record.

The Notifications They Couldn't Ignore (But Did)

Since then, the Office of Resolution Management (ORM) has sent notification after notification to PVAHCS leadership—each one confirming that an EEO complaint had been filed and an investigation had begun . The process is mandatory. The notices are unignorable. They land in inboxes. They get read. And then they get ignored (not in an official sense – but by inaction).

Leadership has received these notifications for 10+ complaints in just the last four years alone. Each one a formal record of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation alleged by an employee. Each one an opportunity to act.

• Each one met with silence.

Praise While The Paperwork Piles Up

But PVAHCS leadership didn't just sit on their hands. They went further. They have continued to publicly praise the Phoenix VA Police Department—sending out commendations, hosting award ceremonies, and smiling for photos with the very officials named in those ORM notices.

• They praise the department while the complaints stack up.
• They praise the department while the ORM notifications pile in.
• They praise the department while officers suffer in silence.

They Know. They Don't Act.

• They know the pattern.
• They know the damage.

Yet they still let these individuals influence promotions, hand-pick favorites, run the department, and destroy the careers of anyone brave enough to speak up.

This isn't oversight.
This is complicity.

THE REAL MESSAGE PHOENIX VA POLICE IS SENDING THIS POLICE WEEK

While the nation honors officers who risk everything for the badge, Phoenix VA Police is quietly telling its own officers and the veterans they serve:

• Some badges are more "Untouchable" than others.

Not the ones earned through courage, integrity, or service. The ones protected by leadership. The ones attached to people with substantiated findings of racial discrimination, substantiated sexual harassment, and Giglio‑impaired credibility.

The Protected Get Promoted

If you're part of the protected crew, you can rack up complaints, findings, investigations, and lawsuits—and still get celebrated. Still get promoted. Still get handed an award during Police Week while the rest of the country remembers the fallen.

The Show Goes On

The awards ceremony will proceed as scheduled. Photos will be taken. Handshakes will be exchanged. Leadership will smile for the camera.

Meanwhile, the Actual Officers of Integrity

Meanwhile, the officers with actual integrity—the ones who refused to stay silent, who stood up for their colleagues, who filed complaints knowing the cost—will be watching from the sidelines.

The Real Prize

• Their badges? Taken.
• Their careers? Derailed.
• Their credibility? Questioned—by the very people who lack their own.

Because at Phoenix VA Police, the awards aren't for service.

They're for survival.

And the most "successful" survivors aren't the ones who protected the public.

They're the ones who protected themselves.

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Concerned Citizens AZ – Keep your sympathy. We'd rather be the persistent headache reminding you that some badges are still untouchable.

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READER NOTICE

Concerned Citizens Media encourages readers to independently verify the information contained in this publication, including through public records, official sources, or AI-assisted research tools. For additional information or clarification, readers are encouraged to contact appropriate Department of Veterans Affairs officials or their local VA facility directly.

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DISCLAIMER

Any attempt to retaliate against current or former VA employees, officers, contractors, or witnesses for engaging in protected whistleblower or EEO activity related to the matters discussed herein may constitute a violation of federal law, including 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8)–(9), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and applicable VA anti‑retaliation policies. Documentation, reporting, or public discussion of substantiated misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or policy violations is protected activity.