US to launch probe of Minneapolis police after George Floyd murder: Reports

April 21

The US Justice Department is expected to announce a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis, US media reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The expected announcement by Attorney General Merrick Garland comes one day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement's treatment of Black Americans.

Garland has previously said he will make cracking down on police misconduct a priority.

Justice Department officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

President Joe Biden called the conviction of Chauvin a "giant step" toward justice in the United States.

The Justice Department previously announced an investigation into whether the officers involved in Floyd's death violated his civil rights.

The Justice Department on Friday withdrew a policy put in place during former President Donald Trump's administration that limited the tools the federal government could use to monitor and probe police misconduct.

Garland in a memo to staff said the department would return to its traditional practices of investigating state and local police departments, allowing unit heads to approve most settlements and consent decrees. — Reuters