“The first consent decree ordered under the  Justice Department ‘pattern or practice’ program to investigate local police departments for violations of constitutional rights was signed 20 years ago.  There’ve been 30 settlements with departments since that first Pittsburgh agreement in 1997. “It’s therefore an appropriate time to assess the program’s  impact. What has it achieved? … Continue reading Can Policing Really Change? Ten Lessons From the DOJ’s ‘Pattern or Practice’ Bias Probes