Feds Expected to Sue Ferguson Police Department for Racial Discrimination

The Justice Department is preparing to bring a lawsuit against the Ferguson (Mo.) Police Department over what it believes to be a pattern of racially discriminatory tactics used by officers, if the police department does not agree to make changes on its own.

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.

If the Ferguson PD doesn't agree to review and revise its tactics, sources tell CNN , the Justice Department would sue to force changes in the department.

Among the issues expected to be part of the Justice Department's lawsuit are allegations made in a recent lawsuit filed by a group of low-income people who claimed officers in Ferguson and nearby Jennings targeted minorities with minor traffic infractions and then jailed them when they couldn't pay fines.

The Justice Department action would ask for court supervision of changes at the Ferguson Police Department to improve how police deal with the minority communities they are supposed to protect.