Justice Dept. announces Ferguson police probe

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department launched a broad investigation Thursday into the practices of the Ferguson, Missouri, police department, following the shooting last month of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer.<br /> <br /> Attorney General Eric Holder announced the probe, saying that he and his department had heard numerous concerns from people in the St. Louis suburb about police practices, a history of "deep mistrust" and a lack of diversity on the police force.<br /> <br /> The new probe is separate from an ongoing federal civil rights investigation into the circumstances of the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson. A local grand jury is also investigating the shooting, which set off about two weeks of unrest in the streets of Ferguson and became a flashpoint in the national discussion of police treatment of minorities across the country.<br /> <br /> This new effort will look at police department practices over the past few years, including patterns of stops, arrests and use of force, as well as the training Ferguson police officers receive.<br /> <br /> The Ferguson department said it welcomes the Justice Department investigation.

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