Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday the Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis after the guilty verdict in George Floyd’s death.

What You Need To Know

  • Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday the Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis after the guilty verdict in George Floyd’s death

  • The Department of Justice has "opened a civil investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing"

  • The DOJ previously considered opening a pattern or practice investigation into the police department soon after Floyd’s death, but then-Attorney General Bill Barr was hesitant to do so at the time

  • President Joe Biden promised Tuesday that his administration would not rest following the jury’s verdict in the case

"Yesterday's verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis," Garland said. "Today I'm announcing that the Justice Department has opened a civil investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing."

"Broad participation in this investigation from the community and from law enforcement will be vital to its success," Garland said, noting that community outreach on the investigation has already begun.

The announcement comes a day after former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death last May, setting off a wave of relief but also sadness across the country. The Black man’s death prompted months of mass protests against policing in the U.S.

The Justice Department is already investigating whether the officers involved in Floyd’s death violated Floyd’s civil rights.

The investigation announced Wednesday is known as a “pattern or practice” and will be a more sweeping probe of the entire department and may result in major changes to policing there, a DOJ official said.

The investigation will examine practices used by police and whether the department engages in discriminatory practices. It will also look into the department’s handling of misconduct allegations among other things, the person said. It’s unclear whether the years under investigation will begin when Floyd died or before.

The decision comes amid calls for action from the federal government on policing reform.

President Joe Biden promised Tuesday his administration would not rest following the jury’s verdict in the case.

“‘I can’t breathe.’ Those were George Floyd’s last words,” Biden said. “We can’t let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away. We can’t turn away.”

The Justice Department had previously considered opening a pattern or practice investigation into the police department soon after Floyd’s death, but Attorney General Bill Barr was hesitant to do so at the time, fearing that it could cause further divisions in law enforcement amid widespread protests and civil unrest, three people familiar with the matter told the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.