Local Police Departments Face Increasing Justice Department Scrutiny for Civil Rights Records
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is increasing its probes of civil rights violations by local police and sheriff’s departments.
Seventeen local police departments are facing scrutiny, the highest number in the 54-year history of the Civil Rights Division, the Washington Post reports. Among the departments under investigation: Portland, Ore., where police were accused of shooting several people with mental health issues; Seattle, Wash., where an officer shot a homeless Native American woodcarver who didn’t obey orders to drop a small knife; and Maricopa County, Ariz., where Sheriff Joe Arpaio is being probed for allegedly discriminating against Hispanics.
A 1994 law passed after the Rodney King beating authorizes the Civil Rights Division to determine whether local police departments are engaging in a pattern or practice of federal constitutional violations.
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “DOJ Settles Suit Against Joe Arpaio’s Office, Says Maricopa, Ariz., Sheriff Has Provided Docs”
