Cleveland Police Abuse Pattern Cited by Justice Department
NY Times:
The Cleveland abuses highlighted by Mr. Holder included many that have caused friction with the police in minority communities around the country. Those include excessive use of deadly force like shootings and using weapons to hit suspects on the head; the “unnecessary, excessive or retaliatory use of less lethal force” involving Tasers, chemical spray and fists; excessive force against mentally ill people; and tactics that have escalated encounters into confrontations where use of force became inevitable.
“Cleveland officers are not provided with adequate training, policy guidance, support and supervision,” the Justice Department concluded in its report.
As a result of the investigation, the city has agreed to work toward a settlement with the Justice Department known as a consent decree that will tighten and govern policies on use of force and subject the police to oversight by an independent monitor. Consent decrees in other cities, including Seattle, Detroit, New Orleans and Albuquerque, were put into effect after investigations into questionable police violence and other abusive practices.