![U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder makes a statement about the grand jury decision not to seek an indictment in the Staten Island death of Eric Garner during an arrest in July, in Washington December 3, 2014. [Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/download-8.jpeg?w=680)
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder makes a statement about the grand jury decision not to seek an indictment in the Staten Island death of Eric Garner during an arrest in July, in Washington December 3, 2014. [Reuters]
Results of a federal review of policing in Cleveland, Ohio were released today, and they underscore what many residents of that city undoubtedly know first-hand: the use of unreasonable force by police officers there is part of pattern of behavior that is in some cases endorsed by supervisors.
"We saw too many incidents in which officers accidentally shot someone either because they fired their guns accidentally or because they shot the wrong person," reads the report.
The Justice Department's scathing findings, disclosed Thursday as a wave of protests took aim at police conduct in Ferguson, Mo., and New York, were relayed to city officials in a 58-page summary of a near year-long investigation into policing operations.
Investigators concluded in part that law enforcement is "sometimes chaotic and dangerous… and frequently deprives individuals of their constitutional rights."
According to the Justice Department press release announcing the conclusion of the report, the pattern or practice of abuses by the Cleveland police department includes:
The unnecessary and excessive use of deadly force, including shootings and head strikes with impact weapons;
The unnecessary, excessive or retaliatory use of less lethal force including Tasers, chemical spray and fists;
Excessive force against persons who are mentally ill or in crisis, including in cases where the officers were called exclusively for a welfare check; and
The employment of poor and dangerous tactics that place officers in situations where avoidable force becomes inevitable.
The Justice department also found that the division fails to:
Adequately review and investigate officers’ uses of force;
Fully and objectively investigate all allegations of misconduct;
Identify and respond to patterns of at-risk behavior;
Provide its officers with the support, training, supervision, and equipment needed to allow them to do their jobs safely and effectively;
Adopt and enforce appropriate policies; and
Implement effective community policing strategies.
Read the findings here. [justice.gov]
