Phoenix officials are continuing their preemptive pushback against what they see as heavy federal oversight of the city’s police department in the form of a court-enforceable deal with the U.S. Justice Department.

A letter and report sent on Thursday say an extraordinary wave of self-reform is already happening in Phoenix.

The documents authored by the outside law firm Steptoe detail self-imposed reforms that cover each part of the sweeping federal investigation now in its 30th month.

Phoenix officials want the feds to acknowledge that the city and police department have shown a commitment to self-change, and it means the feds should not insist on a consent decree.

Phoenix instead wants to be issued a technical assistance letter with recommended reforms. But the practice was halted more than a decade ago.

The Justice Department did not comment.