Cleveland Police are reckless, use excessive and unnecessary force: Attorney General Eric Holder


Nearly 600 cases involving allegations of brutality were reviewed in Justice Department probe opened in 2013. 'Too many incidents in which officers accidentally shot someone,' says study

BY DEBORAH HASTINGS

Cleveland Police are reckless, use excessive and unnecessary force: Attorney General Eric Holder
Nearly 600 cases involving allegations of brutality were reviewed in Justice Department probe opened in 2013. 'Too many incidents in which officers accidentally shot someone,' says study
BY Deborah Hastings
The Cleveland Police Department has a troubled, reckless history of using excessive force far too often, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday, following a three-year Justice Department review.
The probe, which covered nearly 600 cases from 2010 to 2013, revealed a disturbing pattern of wrongdoing, the investigation report released Thursday said.
The investigation was launched after a 2012 police chase ended with the shooting deaths of two people, as well as other highly publicized incidents.
Justice Department investigators found a systemic pattern of inappropriate force used by officers, as well as recklessness that endangered not only the public, but other officers on the force.
Kris Connor/Getty ImagesU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced a Justice Department probe had documented a pattern of excessive force used by the Cleveland Police Department.
"We saw too many incidents in which officers accidentally shot someone either because they fired their guns accidentally or because they shot the wrong person," the report said.
The findings come as Cleveland continues to protest the Nov. 22 killing of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy holding a pellet gun. Police shot the boy to death, saying they thought he was holding a real weapon.
The Justice Department review was prompted by a 2012 high-speed chase that ended with police firing 137 rounds into the car, killing two unarmed people inside.
Heavy-handed police officers have created serious mistrust of Cleveland police, most notably in the African-American community, the report said. Officers also are poorly trained in how to arrest people, how to deal with mentally unstable people and how to use their firearms.
It noted one incident in which a cop shot a man dressed in boxer shorts who had fled a house where he and others were being held against their will. The police sergeant said he fired because the man raised his arm and pointed.