Highlights
- Phoenix City Council approved up to $100,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Wall Street Journal reporter Dion Rabouin.
- Rabouin was handcuffed and detained on November 23, 2022, outside a Chase Bank in north Phoenix by Officer Caleb Zimmerman.
- A Phoenix PD internal investigation found unlawful detainment and excessive force allegations unfounded but concluded Zimmerman violated search and seizure policy by removing Rabouin's wallet.
- Zimmerman received additional training rather than a written reprimand; the department updated its trespassing detainment policy following the incident.
The Phoenix City Council has approved a settlement of up to $100,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by Wall Street Journal reporter Dion Rabouin, who was handcuffed and detained by a Phoenix police officer in November 2022.
Rabouin was stopped on November 23, 2022, outside a Chase Bank in north Phoenix by Officer Caleb Zimmerman. A subsequent Phoenix PD internal investigation found that allegations of unlawful detainment, detention based on race, and excessive force were unfounded. However, the investigation concluded that Zimmerman violated department search and seizure policy by removing Rabouin's wallet from his pocket to identify him.
Zimmerman received additional training rather than a written reprimand, with investigators citing the vagueness of existing policy and a lack of malicious intent. Following the incident, Phoenix Police updated department policy to clarify procedures for detaining versus arresting individuals for trespassing.
The $100,000 settlement adds to a pattern of Phoenix absorbing civil liability from police encounters. In July 2026, KJZZ reported that the council approved roughly $800,000 in legal settlements tied to separate Phoenix Police and Fire Department lawsuits, a figure also confirmed by Phoenix New Times.
Who was detained and why does it matter?
Dion Rabouin is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was handcuffed and detained outside a Chase Bank in north Phoenix on November 23, 2022. The case drew attention because the internal investigation, while clearing the officer of the most serious allegations, confirmed a policy violation and prompted the department to revise its detainment procedures, an acknowledgment that the encounter exposed a gap in how officers were trained to handle trespassing calls.
The settlement amount and council vote were reported by 12News and corroborated by ABC15 and Phoenix New Times. The council vote closing the case is final; no trial date had been set.
Where to find them
- Chase Bank · chase.banks.info
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- 12News retrieved 09/09/2026 23:24
- ABC15 Arizona retrieved 09/09/2026 23:24
- kjzz.org retrieved 09/09/2026 23:24
- Phoenix New Times retrieved 09/09/2026 23:24
- Chase Bank (official site) retrieved 09/09/2026 23:24
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 09/09/2026 23:24. Every claim traces to a source.
