(NewsNation) — The U.S. Justice Department has not secured one binding settlement to create reform in any of the 12 investigations it’s opened into civil rights abuses by police departments during President Joe Biden’s term, Reuters reported.
Reuters describes Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland as getting off to a “swift start” when he first worked on the probes into the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments. These cities saw many protests after white police officers killed George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
However, after reviewing investigations by the Biden administration, the news outlet found that the DOJ has moved at a slower pace compared to Democratic President Barack Obama’s first four years in office.
Obama’s administration opened 17 investigations, ultimately negotiating settlements with four: Seattle; New Orleans; East Haven, Connecticut and Portland, Oregon, according to Reuters. An additional eight investigations were opened after Obama’s re-election to a second term. Under Obama, the Justice Department was able to get 14 more agreements or court-ordered reforms.
Most of these, Reuters wrote, involved a consent decree. A consent decree is an agreement approved by the courts which usually requires police departments to enact systemic reforms.
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Meanwhile, the Justice Department officials in the Biden administration completed four of the 12 investigations they’ve conducted, Reuters said. These were in Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix, Arizona and Lexington, Mississippi.
While Louisville and Minneapolis have reached agreements in principle, they are not final, Reuters said.
A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that ensuring lawful and effective policing is a “top priority.” The spokesperson added that officials are enforcing 16 existing agreements as well.
The department “is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans,” the spokesperson said.
Should Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump win the 2024 election before these consent decrees are reached, Reuters said, these current investigations could end. Trump’s DOJ “largely stopped” using consent decrees, Reuters wrote, and only opened pattern or practice investigation for one police department.
