The initial strike forces in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., will work to stop guns traveling from areas where it is easier to obtain firearms to places with more restrictive gun laws.
The probe will determine if the agency engages in a pattern of "violations of the Constitution or federal law," Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference.
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) president Sherrilyn Ifill said the Justice Department needs to deploy a potentially powerful tool at its disposal to combat racial discrimination: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Garland described the so-called pattern-or-practice investigations as a return to the sort of oversight the Trump administration sharply curtailed, one of the people said.
“The investigation I am announcing today will assess whether the Minneapolis police department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a press conference.
The DOJ announced that career prosecutors reviewing the federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges against the Cleveland Police officers involved in the incident.
Police departments are now on notice: they may expect a knock on the door at any time from a Washington attorney, demanding truckloads of documents as the prelude to years of federal interference and budget-busting compliance rules and fees
"When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest," Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.
The Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has announced the award of $4.5 million in grants for the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program.
The affidavit cited by the DOJ said Moreno admitted to crashing the train and suggested the ship "had an alternate purpose related to COVID-19 or a government takeover."
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