Civil Rights Coalition denounces DOJ dismissal of consent decrees and police investigations

National civil rights advocates and attorney generals from across the country are speaking out against the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to abandon several high-profile police consent decrees, warning of far-reaching consequences for accountability and public trust.

DOJ withdraws several consent decrees

Last Wednesday, the DOJ announced it would withdraw from proposed consent decrees with the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments, two agencies at the center of public outrage following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The agency also said it would close investigations into police departments in Phoenix, Trenton, Memphis, Mount Vernon, Oklahoma City, and the Louisiana State Police.

Civil rights advocates denounce the DOJ actions

In response, on Thursday, May 22, Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined forces with leaders from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), NAACP, The Legal Defense Fund, and attorneys general Aaron D. Ford (Nevada), Anthony Brown (Maryland), Keith Ellison (Minnesota), Kwame Raoul (Illinois), and Letitia James (New York) in a unified press conference denouncing the DOJ’s action.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison set the tone, calling the decision “wrong” and “immoral.” His remarks were echoed by fellow leaders who voiced alarm over what they view as a retreat from federal responsibility at a critical juncture for police oversight.

“The Department of Justice has abandoned police reform,” said New York AG Letitia James, underscoring what many in the coalition see as a dangerous shift in the current administration’s commitment to justice.

Speakers at the press conference emphasized that the DOJ’s withdrawal could have a detrimental effect on reform efforts nationwide, particularly in cities like Minneapolis and Louisville, which have faced years of scrutiny over systemic police misconduct and where communities are still grappling with the lasting trauma of Floyd’s and Taylor’s deaths.

What are police consent decrees?

A “police consent decree” is a legally binding agreement, or court-enforced settlement, between a city or state and the US Department of Justice to address alleged violations of the law by a police department.

These decrees are often the result of investigations into police misconduct, such as excessive force or discriminatory policing. They require the police department to implement specific reforms to address the identified issues and ensure compliance with the law.

Some of the agreements required more training for police officers, policy changes to decrease the use of force and a stronger system for citizens to make complaints against officers. It also required that predominately white police departments do more to recruit people of color.

With the recent actions, there is much uncertainty about federal police reform but the coalition pledged to explore alternative paths forward, including state-level oversight and legislative action, to ensure that momentum toward police reform is not lost.

“Even if the Department of Justice refuses to act on civil rights violations, there are attorneys general and mayors who refuse to abandon these efforts to make policing accountable and the civil rights community will continue to call on state and local leaders to pursue their own reforms, hold police departments accountable, and protect their communities from harmful acts.”

“Ending police violence must be a priority. We will not stop fighting for civil rights over wrongs, and we will not be silent in the face of this administration’s assault on all of our rights and freedoms, including the right to be free of abusive policing,” Wiley said.