This review comes just a week after federal charges were brought against former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager, for the shooting death of Walter Scott in 2015.
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The review, which commences immediately, was announced less than a week after former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was indicted on federal criminal charges related to the shooting death of Scott.
USA attorney Bill Nettles said in a release on Monday he and other justice department officials will announce the comprehensive review at a news conference on Tuesday.
U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles and other Justice Department officials provided details of the review during a news conference at the North Charleston City Hall. Others include Baltimore, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Bamberg is an attorney for the family of Walter Scott. The collaborative reform initiative by the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, will not look into allegations of unconstitutional policing, the detractors’ lead complaint for the past decade.
The policing practices and the training conducted by the department are expected to be assessed. A year after that, Wray said, there will be a final report.
That separate probe is still needed, said Edward Bryant III, president of the North Charleston chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Slager was sacked, and his case inflamed a national debate about how white officers treat blacks.
The Justice Department last week announced a three-count indictment against Slager on federal charges, including a federal civil rights offense that accused him of excessive force in Scott’s shooting. “The leaders of North Charleston have shown that commitment”.
Chief Noble Wray of COPS said the objective of the review was to improve the trust between police and the community. In about a year, there will be a second report on how well the department has implemented the suggestions. His defense team has said he shot Scott after the two tussled over Slager’s Taser.
North Charleston has avoided the rioting that took place in other US cities after police killings of black men, but African Americans complain of being subjected to overly aggressive policing and racial profiling.
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Justin Bamberg, who is also a SC state representative, says it’s a big step in ensuring real change takes place.
