DOJ reaches settlement with Cleveland over police use of excessive force News
DOJ reaches settlement with Cleveland over police use of excessive force

[JURIST] The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] on Tuesday announced a settlement [text, PDF; press release] with the Cleveland police department, which has agreed to adopt stringent standards over how and when its officers can use force. The results of a DOJ investigation [JURIST report] announced in December found a pattern of “unreasonable and unnecessary use of force.” The DOJ found that the department used stun guns inappropriately in addition to punching and kicking unarmed persons and shooting at people who were harmless. Investigators discovered that several of these allegations either went unreported or uninvestigated. Under the new rules, Cleveland has agreed to document each time its officers decide to unholster their guns, and officers will be prohibited from using force against people for talking back or as punishment for trying to escape. Furthermore, pistol whipping and warning shots will also be disallowed under the new rules. Should the city refuse to put these changes into effect, a federal judge has the authority to demand that the changes be enforced. The federal authorities are hopeful that these changes will guarantee that police conduct proper investigations and keep accurate records.

Police use of force has been a controversial issue across the US recently. Earlier this month US Attorney General Loretta Lynch [official website] launched a federal civil rights investigation [JURIST report] into Baltimore’s police following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. Earlier this year Judge Edgar Dickson of the South Carolina Circuit Court declared a mistrial [JURIST report] in the murder case against a former police chief for the 2011 killing of an unarmed black man. After a grand jury decided not to indict [JURIST report] the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who last year shot and killed Micheal Brown [USA Today Timeline], an African American teenager, there was a large uproar from the Ferguson community that led to mass protests and violence in some instances. The case had reached international news with AI reporting [JURIST report] human rights abuses by Ferguson Police in late October. In early October a federal judge ruled [JURIST report] that the police tactics used on protesters was unconstitutional and issued a preliminary injunction. The American Civil Liberties Union [advocacy website] also published a report [JURIST report] arguing that increased militarization of police forces is putting citizens at risk rather than protecting them.

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