According to CNN, the United States Justice Department is preparing to file a lawsuit against the Ferguson, Missouri police department for a pattern of racial discrimination if the police force does not agree to make necessary changes.
While the Justice Department is expected to announce that it won’t charge Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown, it is expected to outline findings that allege a pattern of racial discriminatory tactics used by Ferguson police. If the department doesn’t agree to revise those tactics, the Justice Department will sue the police force in order to ensure that those changes are put into place.
Amongst the issues expected to be within the lawsuit are allegations made by a group of low-income people who claim officers in Ferguson and the nearby town of Jennings targeted minorities with traffic infractions and then placed them in jail for being unable to pay the fine. To help ensure a better relationship between the officers and the minority community they are meant to protect, the lawsuit will ask the court to supervise the police department as they make the outlined changes.
On Tuesday, during an appearance at the National Press Club, Attorney General Eric Holder hinted plans to officially announce the outcome of Justice Department’s separate investigation of the case as it relates to the shooting death of Brown and the police department’s history of discriminatory behavior.
“I think everybody will see when we announce our results that the process that we have engaged in is, as I said back at the time when I visited Ferguson, independent, thorough and based on all facts,” said Holder. “And I am confident that people will be satisfied with the results that will be announced.”