Sarah Freeman, The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) -- A federal monitor will oversee Detroit police after an investigation into civilian shootings found problems with the department’s use of force, officials announced Thursday.
The police department reached two court-enforceable consent decrees with the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins said. One deals with the use of force as well as arrests and detentions; the other with conditions of prisoner confinement.
“We have worked diligently to craft the best possible road map for turning around the Detroit Police Department,” Collins said.
The monitor will be Sheryl L. Robinson of the consulting firm Kroll Associates, the city said. She will oversee the department to ensure compliance with the consent decrees and will offer technical support.
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said the agreements were needed to ensure that change takes place. With the agreements, he said the city would follow through on a pledge he made when he took office to reform the department.
“We will fix it now,” Kilpatrick said. “We will fix it in an efficient and effective manner.”
Police Chief Jerry Oliver already has made changes, such as revising how officers are trained to use force and fixing detention cells in precincts. He has pledged to address all the Justice Department’s concerns.
“The agreement reached today with the United States Department of Justice is a major milestone in our efforts to bring about constructive change within the Detroit Police Department,” Oliver said.
City officials had initially wanted to avoid consent decrees, which are a judge’s orders requiring specific changes in policies -- regardless of cost. But Oliver and Kilpatrick said Thursday that during the more than two-year probe it became apparent that they were needed.
The Justice Department investigation -- prompted by fatal civilian shootings by officers in 2000 -- found serious problems with Detroit police policies on the use of force and the treatment of prisoners.
Since 1997, the city has paid at least $137 million on lawsuits filed against police.
Last spring, the Justice Department recommended more than 175 policy changes.