CHARLESTON, S.C. -A White former SC police officer facing a state murder charge in the shooting death of unarmed Black motorist Walter Scott has now been indicted on federal charges including depriving the victim of his civil rights.
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The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an independent review of the North Charleston Police Department with the goal of improving the agency’s relationship with the community.
North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers said his department welcomes the Justice Department review. A final report would come a year later.
An attorney for Scott’s relatives, state Rep. Justin Bamberg, called the announcement “great news”. Before the development, family members had questioned why the city had not done more since Scott’s death.
The COPS Office will meet with law enforcement and the community before issuing a public report in six to eight months with its findings of gaps or deficiencies in the department and specific recommendations to fix them, said Noble Wray, chief of the COPS Office’s Policing Practices and Accountability Initiative.
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services review is somewhat less onerous than a “pattern or practice” investigation by the Civil Rights Division – which typically results in a court-enforceable agreement – and it relies largely on local authorities to make sure any recommended changes stick.
Federal officials are giving details of an official review of the police department in North Charleston, where a former officer faces state and federal charges in the shooting death of unarmed black motorist Walter Scott.
Word that the Justice Department will conduct a review comes 13 months after former Officer Michael Slager fatally gunned down Walter Scott following an April 2015 traffic stop.
The mayor and police chief in the city of 100,000 requested the review, saying the scrutiny stemming from the police shooting of Walter Scott had made its efforts to protect residents while respecting their rights “more urgent and challenging”. He pleaded not guilty last week to federal civil rights charges related to the shooting.
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The Justice Department is holding a news conference Tuesday to announce its comprehensive review, which was requested by Mayor Keith Summey. Slager was sacked, and his case inflamed a national debate about how white officers treat blacks. He was charged for a civil rights violation and the state of SC passed a bill mandating the use of body cameras. North Charleston is the 11 city to enter into the collaborative reform process.
