"The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into whether the Minneapolis police are following an unconstitutional or illegal policing model or practices," Justice Minister Merrick Garland said Wednesday.
The announcement comes the day after white policeman Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering African-American George Floyd.
This investigation, separate from the current one into the death of George Floyd, aims to determine whether the police in Minneapolis, a city in the north of the United States, systematically use excessive force, including during legal demonstrations, a- he added.
The investigation will also focus on possible discrimination or ill-treatment inflicted by the police on people with behavioral problems, said Merrick Garland.
If the existence of illegal practices is proven, legal proceedings aimed at forcing the city to undertake major police reforms could follow.
“The Department of Justice will act decisively in this quest for justice” in Minneapolis, said Merrick Garland.
Under the presidency of Barack Obama, the federal authorities had launched resounding investigations targeting cities in the United States where police officers were accused of racism or abuse of power, such as Baltimore, Chicago or San Francisco.
Donald Trump later expressed his opposition to such investigations.
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