Justice Department to investigate Minneapolis Police Department

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the guilty verdict against ex-officer Derek Chauvin does not address potentially systemic problems. The Justice Department plans to investigate the city’s police force to look for any pattern of unlawful policing. Garland’s predecessor, Attorney General William Barr, declined to open such an inquiry in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd and widespread protests last summer. The probe will examine use of force, discriminatory practices, how the department handles misconduct allegations, and its system of accountability.

What will happen after the investigation? The department will issue a public report if it finds a pattern of unconstitutional policing, Garland said. It could also bring a lawsuit against the Minneapolis Police Department to force change.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read a report by Emily Belz, Jamie Dean, and Daniel James Devine about police trying to build relationships with the communities they serve.