Obama: We Need Independent Police Probes

President Barack Obama urged the Department of Justice to pursue sweeping reforms in police practices after unveiling a White House task force report Monday. The report outlined 63 recommendations, which included providing more information online about arrests and crimes as well as requiring independent investigations and independent prosecutors in incidents of police use of lethal force. The panel suggested tying federal funding to a national initiative to diversify police departments based on a community’s demographics and creating a National Crime and Justice Task Force to assist in implementing changes throughout the criminal-justice system. The report also recommended getting rid of quotas for tickets, citations, arrests, or summonses.