WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the city authorities are set to reform Ferguson law enforcement practices, US Attorney General told journalists on Wednesday.
Holder commented following the DOJ report following the investigation of the Ferguson police and court practices that took place after the fatal police shooting of unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson.
Holder stressed that the DOJ will continue to work with the people of Ferguson to ensure that the necessary law enforcement reforms are implemented.
The Attorney General also underlined that the DOJ efforts will extend to other communities around the United States.
“It will go on as we join together with all Americans to ensure that public safety is not a burden undertaken by the brave few, but a positive collaboration between everyone in this nation,” Holder said.
The Attorney General noted that the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department (FPD) is responsible for escalating tensions within the community.
“Our investigation showed that members of Ferguson’s police force frequently escalate, rather than defuse, tensions with the residents they encounter,” he said.
“This investigation found a community that was deeply polarized; a community where deep distrust and hostility often characterized interactions between police and area residents.” Holder said.
“A community where all of these conditions, unlawful practices, and constitutional violations have not only severely undermined the public trust, eroded police legitimacy, and made local residents less safe,” he added.
Holder said that the FPD ultimately created “an intensely charged atmosphere where people feel under assault and under siege by those charged to serve and protect them.”
Attorney General claims that the vast majority of police force exercised in Ferguson, Missouri is used against African American citizens.
“Our findings indicated that the overwhelming majority of force – almost 90 percent – is directed against African Americans,” he announced.
“In fact, our review of the evidence found no alternative explanation for the disproportionate impact on African American residents other than implicit and explicit racial bias,” Holder continued.
African American residents were twice as likely as white ones to be searched during a routine police traffic stop in Ferguson, the Justice Department review found.
Moreover, Ferguson police used dogs exclusively against African Americans, Holder stated.
“Records showed a disturbing history of using unnecessary force against people with mental illness,” Holder said during a press conference.
The DOJ investigation focused on the FPD’s use of force, stops, searches and arrests, discriminatory policing and the mistreatment of detainees in the city’s jail by Ferguson police officers, according to the report.
