Federal officials last year alleged that Cleveland Police had engaged in “a pattern or practice of using excessive force.”
A protester is arrested after the acquittal of Cleveland Officer Michael Brelo on Saturday.
Tony Dejak / AP
Officials with the city of Cleveland and the Department of Justice have reached a settlement agreement that will determine what action will be taken after federal investigators last year alleged a pattern of unconstitutional behavior by the city's police, the New York Times reported Monday.
Citing "people briefed on the case," the newspaper said the terms of the settlement may be announced Tuesday.
It comes after DOJ investigators published a report last December that alleged Cleveland police officers routinely used unnecessary and excessive force against suspects, violating their constitutional rights.
The federal report also found "an unnecessary, excessive or retaliatory use of less lethal force [by Cleveland Police] including Tasers, chemical spray and fists."
Then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced at the time that city and federal officials would come together to "set in motion a process that will remedy these issues in a comprehensive -- and court-enforceable -- manner."
John Minchillo / AP
Cleveland's mayor, Frank Jackson, largely rejected the report's findings.
"We believe we have a problem in the Division of Police," Jackson said after its release. "We do not believe it is a systematic failure."
News of the reported settlement comes just days after Officer Michael Brelo was acquitted on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2012 deaths of two unarmed black suspects. Some 137 shots were fired into the pair's vehicle by police -- 49 of which came from Brelo's gun. However, the judge was unable to determine whether the shots fired by Brelo were those that killed Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. Hours of protests followed the court's decision.
Cleveland was also the scene of the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was killed by police while brandishing a toy gun in a playground.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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