ANOTHER STEP FORWARD

Justice Department to Investigate Whether Minneapolis Police Department Uses ‘Excessive Force’

The probe will “assess whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests,” Merrick Garland said.

Just a day after former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder, Attorney General Merrick Garland has announced that the Department of Justice will open a probe into the Minneapolis Police Department. “The investigation I am announcing today will assess whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests,” Garland said. “Yesterday’s verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis.” He also explained that the probe will examine whether people with health disabilities were being treated fairly by the police department. If the DOJ finds that the police department has broken the law, the department can order a consent decree, which can involve third-party monitoring or other amendments. Last week, Garland revoked a Trump-era law that restricted the use of consent decrees.