Federal Judge Merrick Garland speaks after being nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be the next U.S. Attorney General at the Queens Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware, Jan. 7, 2021.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday (April 21) that the Justice Department has opened a civil investigation into the conduct of police officers at the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).
The investigation will determine whether the MPD engaged in “unconstitutional or unlawful policing patterns and practices,” Garland said at a news conference.
Attorneys and other personnel from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Minnesota District Attorney’s Office will participate in the investigation.
According to the Justice Department, the scope of the investigation will include whether Minneapolis Police Department officers engaged in a pattern or practice of using excessive force; whether the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in discriminatory behavior during the protests; and whether the Minneapolis Police Department’s treatment of people with behavioral health disorders was unlawful.
Garland said investigators will thoroughly examine the Minneapolis Police Department’s policing efforts, conducting investigations into areas including policy, training, supervision and use of force.
These newly announced investigations are federal civilian investigations. Garland said a public report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation. He hopes to reach a settlement agreement with the Minneapolis Police Department to avoid further violations if a system is found to be unconstitutional or illegal to enforce the law.
In May 2020, former Attorney General William Barr announced the opening of a federal criminal investigation into the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man.
In a statement at the time, Barr said the criminal investigation would determine whether any civil rights had been violated.
Minneapolis City Attorney Jim Rowader told, “The city welcomes the federal investigation announced today and has begun working with teams from the Department of Justice in Washington, DC and Minnesota to help them organize and conduct this investigation quickly.”
Garland’s announcement comes one day after former Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin, was convicted in the Floyd case.
A jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The most serious charge is second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Floyd, an African-American man, died on May 25, 2020, when he was arrested by Jovin and two other officers. Floyd was taken into custody by officers who responded to a report of counterfeit bills at a nearby Cup Foods food store, but he refused to be placed in the back of a patrol car by the officers.
After a physical scuffle with officers by the store where he allegedly used the counterfeit bills, Floyd was eventually pinned to the ground next to the police car by Jovin and other officers to subdue him.
Jovin allegedly held Floyd’s shoulders and neck with his knees for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Floyd had complained that he could not breathe and eventually stopped breathing. He was then rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Jovin, 45, joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 2001. He was fired the day after the incident, along with the three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest. The other three officers involved, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Keung and Tou Thao, are scheduled to stand trial later this year on charges of aiding and abetting murder.
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