DOJ told lawmakers they are considering a probe of Minneapolis Police Department: report

The Department of Justice has told lawmakers that it is considering launching a probe into potential discriminatory practices taking place at the Minneapolis Police Department, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The potential probe would be in addition to an investigation already taking place at the Justice Department into whether the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody, violated federal hate crime laws.  

The investigation — proposed to lawmakers as an “option” — would look into behaviors beyond just Floyd’s death, which sparked massive protests nationwide calling for an end to police brutality. Some Republicans have reportedly opposed such inquiries because they could be a financial burden on cash-strapped cities and hurt police morale.

Minnesota has already launched a civil rights investigation into years of “systemic discriminatory practices” by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Derek Chauvin, the now-former Minneapolis officer who was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and three other officers involved in the incident are facing charges of their own. 

The Obama administration launched about two dozen investigations as part of its effort to overhaul troubled police agencies before and after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.