Phoenix City Councilwoman slams officer's conduct at student-led ICE protest

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PHOENIX - A Phoenix city councilmember is sounding off with some harsh criticism of a police sergeant who is under internal investigation for his alleged role in an incident during a student anti-ICE walkout in Chandler.

The backstory:

We first reported on the incident involving Phoenix Police Sergeant Dusten Mullen on April 6. Officials with the Chandler Police Department said a teenage girl was arrested on Jan. 30 outside Hamilton High School, and accused of throwing a water bottle at someone supporting ICE.

According to a report we obtained, however, a Chandler Police officer assigned to the protest said when a student pointed out a man with a full-face mask who seemed suspicious, he was seen walking back behind a palm tree. That man was later confirmed to be Mullen.

When the officer approached Mullen, he was arguing with students, telling them to "grow up and act like adults." He told the officer he wasn’t happy about kids flying flags that hit his car. The officer, however, says he never saw any flags touch the car.

The report states that students then became agitated, chanting and following Mullen, who they believed was an ICE agent. The Chandler officer advised him to take his protest elsewhere due to the volatile situation.

Dig deeper:

Chandler PD’s report documents Mullen saying, "My plan is legitimately to just let them all assault me and you guys arrest them all, and I’ll keep it on film. I also have other people filming from a distance."

According to police, Mullen also said that more protesters in support of him were on the way, some armed with rifles, going on to say his goal was to "get all these kids in jail if they want to break the law."

Court records we obtained show Mullen has been employed with Phoenix Police since at least 2011. At the time of the incident, Mullen was armed with an exposed handgun in a holster and two extra handgun magazines. The report states that Mullen was advised to protest elsewhere due to the tense situation.

A check of the city's employee compensation records for 2025 shows that Mullen ranked in the top ten for the city government's highest earners, making $336,518.07.

As for the girl who allegedly threw a water bottle at Mullen, it was later found that the alleged incident involved a cup of water, and not a bottle. Police later submitted misdemeanor charges of assault and disorderly conduct against the girl to juvenile court, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to prosecute. 

Councilwoman did not hold back on Mullen criticism

Anna Hernandez represents Phoenix City Council's District 7, which covers the South Mountain area. Mullen is also a community action sergeant for the South Mountain precinct.

"Why do we have this grown [expletive] man inserting himself inside a high school protest to cause fear?" Hernandez said.

At the time of the incident, no one knew Mullen was a Phoenix Police officer.

"The students were really justified, in my opinion, to fear for their safety: that is a violent person that is trying to attack us," Hernandez said.

What's next:

Mullen is being investigated by the Professional Standards Bureau, and remains employed.

Hernandez, meanwhile, said she spoke with Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano on the morning of April 8.

"I was very clear with the chief that because this is a sergeant that works in one of the precincts that oversees my district, I have a lot of concerns with this officer working the streets in my community," Hernandez said.

She wants to see discipline and accountability from the department.

"We take this seriously. This is unacceptable, and we cannot see this happen again," she said.

When the investigation concludes, Councilwoman Hernandez says she and Mayor Kate Gallego will be briefed by Chief Giordano.