US launches federal probe into Minneapolis police

A federal investigation has been launched into policing practices in the city of Minneapolis, a day after one of its former officers was convicted of the murder of George Floyd.

The justice department will look at whether there has been a pattern “of unconstitutional or unlawful policing”, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

It follows national outrage over the killing of Mr Floyd by Derek Chauvin.

The former officer was convicted of all charges on Tuesday.

Chauvin was filmed kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest in May 2020. Mr Floyd, an unarmed African American, was pronounced dead an hour later.

The footage sparked protests across the country, and calls for police reformation.

Mr Garland told reporters Tuesday’s verdict did not “address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis”.

He said the investigation would “include a comprehensive review of the Minneapolis Police Department’s policies, training, supervision and use of force investigations”.

The attorney general added: “It will assess the effectiveness of the MPD’s current systems of accountability and whether other mechanisms are needed to ensure constitutional and lawful policing.”

BBC.COM