The Justice Department’s Reform Program
‘Pattern or Practice’ cases have led to lasting changes
In 1991, video of the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers sparked widespread public outrage. The officers’ acquittal on state criminal charges in 1992 triggered riots in Los Angeles and protests across the nation. (Later, two of the officers involved were successfully prosecuted on federal charges by the Criminal Section of the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.) An independent commission linked the beating of Mr. King to institutional failure within the Los Angeles Police Department, and Congress held hearings on how the federal government could do more to address police misconduct. …
