Letter to Eric Holder, Attorney General - Review of Ferguson Police Department

Letter

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General of the United States
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

I am writing to express my strong support for the Department of Justice investigation into whether the Ferguson Police Department has engaged in discriminatory policing practices. It is imperative that we find out if there is a pattern and practice of civil rights violations in Ferguson.

The heartbreaking death of Michael Brown is only the latest of too many such tragedies that we have seen all across this country. So many of these tragedies are born out of distrust between the police department and the local community.

When I was a county supervisor, I worked to bring community policing to our county when it was clear that we needed to increase the trust between police officers and the citizens they serve. In every community, we need mutual respect. We need police officers who reflect their communities. We need personal relationships between law enforcement and the citizens they protect, and real partnerships between them to keep their communities safe. And we need accountability if anyone--whether it is a citizen or police officer--violates the law.

That is why it is critical for the Justice Department to move swiftly to complete its civil rights review of the Michael Brown case and its investigation into whether the Ferguson Police Department has engaged in a pattern of excessive use of force, mistreatment of prisoners or racial profiling in its searches and arrests. As part of this probe, I would urge you to determine whether the lack of diversity in the Ferguson Police Department contributed to the culture of distrust between local residents and police.

A thorough review by your Department will bring these facts to light so we can ensure that the people of Ferguson have the police department they deserve -- one that respects their rights, reflects their community and works hard every day to earn their trust.

Sincerely,

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