The Justice Department is ready to file a federal lawsuit against the Ferguson police if the department does not agree to make changes.
The Justice Department is preparing to bring a lawsuit against the Ferguson, Missouri, police department over a pattern of racially discriminatory tactics used by officers, if the police department does not agree to make changes on its own, sources tell CNN.
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Attorney General Eric Holder said this week he expects to announce the results of the department’s investigation of the shooting death of Michael Brown and a broader probe of the Ferguson Police Department before he leaves office in the coming weeks.
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Brown’s shooting death at the hands of Officer Darren Wilson has thrust Ferguson into the center of a nationwide debate over police tactics and race relations. The Justice Department is expected to announce it won’t charge Wilson for the shooting, but it’s also expected to outline findings that allege a pattern of discriminatory tactics used by the Ferguson police. If they don’t agree to review and revise those tactics, sources say, the Justice Department would sue to force changes in the department.
It took the murder of Michael Brown for a discriminatory police department to be exposed. It looks like the Brown family won’t be getting justice, but at least the Ferguson Police Department will be cleaned up before more lives are ruined or ended.
There is evidence that the Ferguson Police Department had a policy of targeting minorities for traffic violations then throwing them into jail if they could not afford to pay the fines.
The behavior of the Ferguson Police resembles the Jim Crow South more than a trusted part of the community that has sworn to serve and protect. Most police officers are decent people who put their lives on the line every single day, but it has been clear from the beginning that there was something rotten in Ferguson.
Michael Brown’s death was a symptom that could not be ignored. Attorney General Eric Holder is looking to cure the disease.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
