City Of Detroit Looks To Remove Federal Monitoring Of Police Department
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A judge is holding a hearing on the federal government's request to terminate an 11-year-old agreement with the Detroit Police Department to reduce excessive force and make other improvements.
The government says the city is in compliance. A hearing is planned for Monday in federal court.
"I'm excited about the possibility ... and I applaud the men and women who have stepped up in the Detroit police department and if we can bring closure to this would be a great victory," said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. "For not only the police department but the community."
Before the 2003 agreement, the U.S. Justice Department said it found constitutional violations within the department. Between 1995 and 2000, police killed nearly 50 people, including six people who were unarmed and shot in the back. Nineteen people died while in custody.
Ron Scott with the Coalition Against Police Brutality told WWJ legal analyst Charlie Langton that he objects to getting rid of the monitor: "We've had three (deaths) this year, that's more than the last three or four years."
A court-appointed monitor has been watching the department during the consent agreement.
The government says it still will keep an eye on Detroit police by reviewing internal audits, offering technical assistance and making on-site visits.
The federal monitoring costs the city over a million dollars a year.
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