Cleveland Will Overhaul Police Dept. Under Historic DOJ Deal

FILE - In this May 23, 2015, file photo, riot police stand in formation as a protest forms against the acquittal of Michael Brelo, a patrolman charged in the shooting deaths of two unarmed suspects in Cleveland. The ... FILE - In this May 23, 2015, file photo, riot police stand in formation as a protest forms against the acquittal of Michael Brelo, a patrolman charged in the shooting deaths of two unarmed suspects in Cleveland. The city of Cleveland has reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over a pattern of excessive force and civil rights violations by its police department, and the agreement could be announced as soon as Tuesday, May 26, 2015, a senior federal law enforcement official said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) MORE LESS
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UPDATE: May 26, 2015, 2:08 PM EDT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland has agreed to overhaul its police department under the supervision of a federal monitor in a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over a pattern of excessive force and other abuses by officers.

The settlement was announced Tuesday and comes three days after a white patrolman was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter charges in the shooting deaths of two unarmed black suspects in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire. The case helped prompt an 18-month investigation by the Justice Department.

The findings released in December required the city to work with community leaders and other officials to devise a plan to reform the police department.

Officials say the settlement calls for new use-of-force guidelines, a focus on community engagement, accountability reforms, training on bias-free policing and a mental health advisory committee.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  1. And they say thins will have changed when they stop changing. This how it always is. A foot in the door…then the rest of you. Then you take over the joint. Then you get your ass thrown out.

    This was a predictable event. Foot in the door police excess that led to full blown militarization and and “us versus them” mentality. Dead kids all over the place. Then they get their asses kicked for it all. But it will be back.

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