Department of Justice Seal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CRT

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1999

(202)616-2777

WWW.USDOJ.GOV

TDD (202) 514-1888


JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OPENS CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION
INTO RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA POLICE DEPARTMENT


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department today announced that it will investigate the Riverside, California police department to determine whether it has engaged in a pattern or practice of law enforcement misconduct, including using excessive force and discriminating in the way it provides police services.

The civil investigation, announced today in a joint press conference by Bill Lann Lee, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, will be conducted jointly by both offices.

Under the 1994 Crime Control Act, law enforcement agencies are prohibited from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives persons of their Constitutional rights. The law gives the Justice Department authority to investigate allegations of misconduct and seek a court order requiring the police department to address any problems that are discovered.

In addition, local law enforcement agencies which receive financial assistance from the Justice Department, such as the Riverside Police Department, are also prohibited from engaging in discriminatory misconduct.

Separate criminal laws enable the Justice Department to criminally prosecute individual police officers who engage in excessive use of force or other types of misconduct.

The Riverside investigation, which is being launched following allegations of misconduct by the Riverside Police Department, will be conducted by the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.

In addition to announcing the Riverside investigation, Mayorkas announced the formation of a Civil Rights Section within the U.S. Attorney's Office. The new unit, which will initially be comprised of three criminal prosecutors and one attorney from the Civil Division, will allow the U.S. Attorneys Office to expand the number of investigations and prosecutions of hate crimes, police misconduct and other violations of constitutional rights.

The Justice Department is currently investigating approximately ten police departments across the nation to determine if they are engaged in patterns of misconduct, including police departments in New York City and New Orleans, Louisiana. It has reached agreements with police departments in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Steubenville, Ohio, through court-enforceable consent decrees. The consent decrees outline new and enhanced measures for managing and operating those cities' police forces.

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