After two years of investigating the Minneapolis Police Department, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is coming to Minneapolis to announce the findings of the Justice Department's investigation.
Garland is announcing the probe after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd in April of 2021.
The report is expected to show the department has engaged in a pattern of violating citizens' civil rights and using excessive force. It's also possible that the police department may be under federal control until it demonstrates that it has met certain thresholds, something that has taken place at other departments across the country.
One of the departments who ultimately reached an agreement with the DOJ was Newark, New Jersey where current Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara came from.
The announcement that the Department of Justice was investigating Minneapolis came out almost immediately after Chauvin's conviction and said the department opened a pattern or practice investigation into the City of Minneapolis (the City) and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).
The investigation will assess all types of force used by MPD officers, including uses of force involving individuals with behavioral health disabilities and uses of force against individuals engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment.
“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,” said Attorney General Garland. “Building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us, but we undertake this task with determination and urgency, knowing that change cannot wait.”
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