Aug. 12, 2014: Protesters line the street as police stand watch in Ferguson, Mo.AP
The Department of Justice is reportedly launching a civil rights investigation into the Ferguson Police Department after an unarmed black teen was fatally shot by one of the department’s officers.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the investigation by Attorney General Eric Holder may be announced as early as Thursday, and will be led by the department’s civil rights division.
The probe will be separate and broader than a previously announced DOJ probe into the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, according to the Post. The shooting touched off weeks of sometime violent protests in the Missouri town, which is a suburb of St. Louis.
NBC News reported that the new probe will look at the conduct of the Ferguson Police Department over the past several years, and will also review the county police department. According to the Washington Post, other police departments in St. Louis County will also be investigated.
Last month, President Obama directed a review of federal programs and funding that allow state and local law-enforcement agencies to acquire surplus military equipment. His decision came after Ferguson’s law enforcement came under fire for using military equipment to try to control the protests and riots after the shooting.
The review will include whether the programs are appropriate, if the agencies are getting enough training and guidance to use the equipment and whether the federal government is sufficiently auditing the use of the equipment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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