Officials from the Department of Justice announced Monday that they will be reviewing the use of force and ethnic disparities in arrests by the San Francisco Police Department.
According to the Associated Press, the review will not end with a consent decree or court-monitored settlement since it is a voluntary review–not a DOJ-mandated investigation–that will be conducted by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
Law enforcement experts say the review is a less onerous process for police than if the DOJ's civil rights division had launched an investigation.
The civil rights division can force departments into court-monitored legal settlements if it finds constitutional violations like it did recently in Cleveland and Ferguson, Missouri.
The review from the so-called COPS office is usually designed to help a department improve its operations, said University of Missouri-St. Louis criminal justice professor David Klinger.
"It's much more a partnership to improve policies and practices as opposed to a court takeover," Klinger said.
The review comes as the SFPD tries to downplay its racial insensitivity report card. In 2015, the department released a year’s worth of bigoted text messages between numerous SFPD officers as part of a federal criminal probe of a former SFPD sergeant.
Mayor Ed Lee requested the DOJ’s involvement following the shooting death of Mario Woods in December 2015. Woods was shot to death on December 2 by at least five officers who all opened fire on him simultaneously, saying he had a knife and was advancing toward a fellow officer. The incident was captured on numerous bystanders’ cell phones.
Mayor Lee released a statement on December 7 that read in part:
“As I said last week, after the incident that resulted in the death of Mr. Mario Woods, I saw the video. I found it very upsetting, as many did, and it raised a number of questions.”
“We owe all San Francisco, communities of color, and the Woods family, a full and transparent investigation without delay, as I said on Thursday.”
“We also need to reassure the people of San Francisco that lethal force is always the last resort. The men and women of our police department dedicate their lives to protecting people and building trust with the community. They too deserve more alternatives to lethal force in order to best de-escalate conflict.”
Woods' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city for wrongful death, describing his killing as a “horrific public execution.”
Hundreds of protestors marched through the heart of San Francisco over the weekend in support of Woods. The protestors were headed towards “Super Bowl City,” the fan village set-up to capitalize on the 50th annual Super Bowl that will be held this coming weekend.