Slog at 1:13 p.m.:

Dept. of Justice Begins Review of Seattle Police

The US Department of Justice has begun a preliminary review of the Seattle Police Department, apparently responding to a request filed in December by the ACLU of Washington and 34 other organizations to investigate officers' use of force, particularly force used against racial minorities.

In a letter, the groups requested a full-scale probe to determine if the department had "engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of civil rights by using unnecessary and excessive force against the residents of Seattle in violation of federal law."

Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for US Attorney office, declined to state the depth of the current review or if a full-scale investigation would result. Instead she noted that US Attorney Jenny Durkan has met with federal officials and "informed interested parties that we will be conducting a review. We will be meeting with some of the groups that requested the review, personnel with the Department of Justice, and the city next month to determine the scope of the review." ...

Mike Carter at the Seattle Times at 2:35 p.m.

Justice Department begins preliminary review of Seattle police

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a preliminary review of the Seattle Police Department in response to a request American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and 34 other groups seeking an investigation of officers' use of force, particularly against minorities.

In their request, the ACLU and other organizations in December asserted that some Seattle police officers appear to "inflict injury out of anger" at suspects rather than to protect public safety. [...]

Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said Monday that Durkan has met with officials from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., as well as representatives from the city, the Police Department and representatives of the groups that signed the letter. "They are trying to determine the scope of the review," she said. ...