AG Garland Opens Probe into ‘Unconstitutional’ Practices at Minneapolis Police Department

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday that the Justice Department has opened a civil investigation into potentially “unconstitutional” practices at the Minneapolis police department.

The guilty verdict against former officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of resident George Floyd “does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis,” Garland said during a Wednesday address.

"Today, I am announcing that the Justice Department has opened a civil investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis police department engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing,” Garland told reporters. The investigation will be staffed by attorneys from the Justice Department’s civil rights division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

The attorney general said the new investigation will assess whether the MPD “engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force,” as well as the force’s “current systems of accountability” for officers accused of misconduct.