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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Justice Department will release its final report on the Philadelphia Police Department’s reform efforts prompted by concerns over its use of deadly force.
In May 2015, federal officials criticized Philadelphia police, saying use of force was motivated by fear and disproportionately affecting black citizens. But within several months, the Justice Department praised the police department, holding it up as a potential model in the post-Ferguson era for swiftly addressing its troubled culture and policies.
Officer-involved shootings have steadily declined in Philadelphia over the past decade. In 2007, there were more than 60 such shootings. In 2015, there were 23.
The Philadelphia Police Department requested the federal probe in 2013. Since then, a national conversation has emerged around disparities in community policing.