Hillary Clinton Says She'd Beef Up Federal Oversight Of Police

[DemocratSinceBirth]

WASHINGTON -- Expanding the federal government's abilities to investigate police departments across the country would be a key part of Hillary Clinton's approach to criminal justice reform if she were president, an aide told The Huffington Post on Friday.

Clinton's plan would include doubling funding for the Justice Department's collaborative reform program that works with police departments to implement change, expanding the Civil Rights Division unit that investigates law enforcement agencies, and adding funds for training for officers on the federal, state and local level.

Clinton supports giving subpoena power to Justice Department lawyers investigating law enforcement agencies that may be engaged in unconstitutional behavior, such as the revenue-driven practices DOJ found during its investigation of the Ferguson Police Department, according to the aide.

While there are thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country, there are only about 50 lawyers in the unit in charge of investigating potential civil rights violations. An aide said Clinton believes the small size of that unit has limited the Justice Department's abilities to meet the demand for its services, a point on which many civil rights attorneys inside and outside the Justice Department agree.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-police-oversight_563bdf1ce4b0b24aee49a854