The Detroit Police Department paid out more than $39 million in settlements from police-related lawsuits between July 2006 and June 2009, according to an analysis by the Detroit News.
Legal experts say the department is expected to add to that total in the case of the shooting of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones by a tactical officer earlier this month.
City Councilman Gary Brown called the settlements a "vicious cycle" that is preventing the department from hiring additional officers.