Sessions decrees Review of Civil Rights Agreements

Jeff Sessions, the head of the Department of Justice has issued a memo ordering federal authorities to refrain from investigating local law enforcement agencies and to focus on building partnerships with them instead. An investigation conducted by the DOJ during Obama government found several counts of civil rights violations by law enforcement agencies in Baltimore. Evidence of use of excessive force and discrimination against minorities were also found.

The city administration agreed to a consent decree which will enable the justice department to monitor police department reforms and overhaul, and the reforms will be enforced by the courts. The memo from Sessions has asked a federal judge in Baltimore to delay a hearing regarding the much waited reforms. The memo also mentions that all such consent decrees that were negotiated with over a dozen cities will be put under review.

“Local control and local accountability are necessary for effective local policing,” Sessions wrote in a memo to department officials and U.S. Attorneys late Monday. “It is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies.”

This memo is a clear indicator that the Trump administration means to cut back on the number of investigations launched regarding unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement agencies. Advocates for police reform are none too happy with the memo, they cite the report published after a 13 month investigation which uncovered patterns of brutality and racial discrimination, and how the civil rights of African Americans were being violated by forced strip searches and excessive use of force.

Officials at Baltimore including the Mayor Catherine Pugh objected to the delay. She said that the delay is unnecessary and will negatively affect the efforts to build trust between the law enforcement and the community that they are meant to serve. The proposed review by the DOJ will also cover federal grant awards and offers of technical assistance and participation in law enforcement task forces.

(Writing by Ananya Dutta; Editing by Zainab Asif)