A Justice Department investigation found “a pattern or practice of unreasonable and unnecessary use of force” at the Cleveland police department, the agency announced Thursday — a possible preview of similar federal reviews in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City.
Department investigators found an “unnecessary and excessive use of deadly force” by police, as well as the retaliatory use of nonlethal methods to punish suspects, including “Tasers, chemical spray and fists.”
“Accountability and legitimacy are essential for communities to trust their police departments, and for there to be genuine collaboration between police and the citizens they serve,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “There are real, practical and concrete measures that can be taken to ensure not only that police services are delivered in a constitutional manner, but that promote public safety, officer safety, confidence and collaboration, transparency, and legitimacy.”
Though prompted by events in 2013, the ruling comes just one month after Cleveland police shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who they believed was carrying a gun. Tamir was instead carrying a BB gun.
The announcement comes just one day after a grand jury in New York decided not to file charges against an officer in the death of Eric Garner, sparking protests and cries of police brutality in major cities across the U.S.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said that the Cleveland Division of Police must “undergo a complete cultural shift if constitutional policing is to become a core division value.”
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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