Garland announces Justice Dept. probe into Minneapolis police

By: DAVID NAKAMURA, MARK BERMAN, MATT ZAPOTOSKY

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday announced a sweeping Justice Department probe into the practices and culture of the Minneapolis Police Department, elevating the federal government’s role a day after former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of killing George Floyd.

Garland said the civil investigation will examine whether Minneapolis police have engaged in excessive force or discriminatory conduct or abused those with mental illness or physical disabilities.

Jared Fishman, JIL executive director and a former federal civil rights prosecutor, called the announcement “hugely significant” and said it could signal that the Justice Department would once again use its considerable legal muscle to try to force police reforms.

Yet Fishman cautioned that the efficacy of such settlements can sometimes be stymied because local departments or prosecutors’ offices lack the resources or expertise to make the changes federal officials recommend.

“It’s not enough to call out a department for unconstitutional practices. The next step is helping them fix it,” said Fishman, who now runs Justice Innovation Lab, helping implement reforms at prosecutors’ offices. “I hope the [Biden] administration is willing to put their money where their mouths are, because departments are not going to be able to correct the constitutional problems on their own.”

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