In a letter to Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and Police Chief Gordon Eden, the Justice Department said Thursday that an investigation into the city's police department found it "engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, including deadly force." The letter comes after street protests filled the New Mexico city last month after heavily armed police shot and killed James Boyd, a homeless man. He was the 37th person shot, and the 23rd person killed, by Albuquerque Police since January 2010. According to the DoJ, most of the fatal shootings were unconstitutional. "Albuquerque Police officers often use deadly force in circumstances where there is no imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to officers or others," and they misuse weapons like Tasers.
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