Get ready for a whole new discussion, as the feds finally weigh in:
DOJ Finds Ferguson Police Routinely Discriminate
Posted: 03/03/2015 2:35 pm EST Updated: 6 minutes ago
WASHINGTON -- A Justice Department investigation has found that the Ferguson Police Department discriminates against black residents and routinely violates the Constitution and federal law, an official told The Huffington Post.
The results of the investigation were detailed in a meeting between Ferguson and Justice Department officials on Tuesday. A Ferguson official confirmed to The Huffington Post that city and Justice Department officials were meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The so-called “pattern or practice” investigation of the Ferguson Police Department was
announced by the Justice Department in September last year, just weeks after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
DOJ's investigation was based on reviews of thousands of pages of records, on-site visits and interviews with members of the Missouri community. It found that police in Ferguson routinely made arrests without probable cause and that African-Americans were more than twice as likely to be searched during vehicle stops but less likely to be found in possession of contraband. It found that 88 percent of documented use-of-force incidents were against African-Americans.
The investigation also found evidence of racial bias by police officers and municipal court officials. One email circulated on an official Ferguson email system in November 2008 said President Barack Obama wouldn't be president long, because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”
DOJ found that the distrust between African-Americans and the Ferguson Police Department was largely attributable to the department's approach to law enforcement.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
(con't w/slideshow of ferguson protests around the country)
