CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland police officers use excessive and unnecessary force far too often, are poorly trained in tactics and firearm use and endanger the public and their fellow officers with their recklessness, the U.S. Justice Department said in a report presented Thursday by Attorney General Eric Holder.
The Justice Department and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson signed an agreement Tuesday that says both sides will work toward the appointment of a court-appointed monitor to oversee reform.
The department found a systemic pattern of reckless and inappropriate use of force by officers and concerns about search-and-seizure practices. It also said officers frequently violated people’s civil rights because of faulty tactics, inadequate training and a lack of supervision and accountability.
