{"id":30944,"date":"2015-03-04T15:46:27","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T20:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breaking911.com\/?p=30944"},"modified":"2015-03-04T19:12:42","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T00:12:42","slug":"doj-investigation-the-ferguson-police-department-is-extremely-racist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breaking911.com\/doj-investigation-the-ferguson-police-department-is-extremely-racist\/","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: #Ferguson Fires 1 Officer, Suspends 2, After DOJ Report -@ariemason"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Justice Department announced the findings of its two civil rights investigations related to Ferguson, Missouri, today.\u00a0 The Justice Department found that the Ferguson Police Department (FPD) engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and 14th<\/sup> Amendments of the Constitution.\u00a0 The Justice Department also announced that the evidence examined in its independent, federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Michael Brown does not support federal civil rights charges against Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs detailed in our report, this investigation found a community that was deeply polarized, and where deep distrust and hostility often characterized interactions between police and area residents,\u201d said Attorney General Eric Holder.\u00a0 \u201cOur investigation showed that Ferguson police officers routinely violate the Fourth Amendment in stopping people without reasonable suspicion, arresting them without probable cause, and using unreasonable force against them.\u00a0 Now that our investigation has reached its conclusion, it is time for Ferguson\u2019s leaders to take immediate, wholesale and structural corrective action.\u00a0 The report we have issued and the steps we have taken are only the beginning of a necessarily resource-intensive and inclusive process to promote reconciliation, to reduce and eliminate bias, and to bridge gaps and build understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the findings in Ferguson are very serious and the list of needed changes is long, the record of the Civil Rights Division\u2019s work with police departments across the country shows that if the Ferguson Police Department truly commits to community policing, it can restore the trust it has lost,\u201d said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division.\u00a0 \u201cWe look forward to working with City Officials and the many communities that make up Ferguson to develop and institute reforms that will focus the Ferguson Police Department on public safety and constitutional policing instead of revenue.\u00a0 Real community policing is possible and ensures that all people are equal before the law, and that law enforcement is seen as a part of, rather than distant from, the communities they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney General Holder first announced the comprehensive pattern or practice investigation into the Ferguson Police Department after visiting that community in August 2014, and hearing directly from residents about police practices and the lack of trust between FPD and those they are sworn to protect.\u00a0 The investigation focused on the FPD\u2019s use of force, including deadly force; stops, searches and arrests; discriminatory policing; and treatment of detainees inside Ferguson\u2019s city jail by Ferguson police officers.<\/p>\n

In the course of its pattern or practice investigation, the Civil Rights Division reviewed more than 35,000 pages of police records; interviewed and met with city, police and court officials, including the FPD\u2019s chief and numerous other officers; conducted hundreds of in-person and telephone interviews, as well as participated in meetings with community members and groups; observed Ferguson Municipal Court sessions, and; analyzed FPD\u2019s data on stops, searches and arrests.\u00a0 It found that the combination of Ferguson\u2019s focus on generating revenue over public safety, along with racial bias, has a profound effect on the FPD\u2019s police and court practices, resulting in conduct that routinely violates the Constitution and federal law.\u00a0 The department also found that these patterns created a lack of trust between the FPD and significant portions of Ferguson\u2019s residents, especially African Americans.<\/p>\n

The department found that the FPD has a pattern or practice of:<\/strong><\/p>\n