MEMPHIS — Justice Department officials have started a comprehensive review of the Memphis Police Department after citizens criticized the department's use of deadly force and its treatment of the black community.
The review comes after an announcement last month that federal officials found insufficient evidence to file civil-rights charges in the July 2015 shooting of a black man by a white police officer after a traffic stop that escalated.
The Justice Department announced the details Wednesday at the U.S. attorney's office in Memphis. Mayor Jim Strickland and Police Director Michael Rallings said the city invited federal authorities to review the department's policies involving community-oriented policing and the use of deadly force.
Similar assessments have been conducted at several other police departments.