Police reform advocates applauded a similar pact Justice officials recently announced with Baltimore after the department found that city's officers discriminated against blacks. "There can be backsliding,” said Samuel Walker, a former University of Omaha criminal justice professor who specializes in police accountability. Under Obama, the Justice Department entered into agreements with 12 police departments, four times as many as under President George W. Bush. Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, pointed to a Department of Justice agreement with Los Angeles as a model. The city was under monitoring for 12 years after investigations by the Justice Department over civil rights violations, including routine false arrests and excessive force.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 05, 2017 11:31 UTC