How seriously will the Feds look at police practices?

The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is beginning an investigation into the policies and practices of the Portland Police Bureau to determine whether officers routinely use excessive force to violate Portlanders' civil rights. Community leaders who have been calling for such an investigation were finally joined in their request by Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Dan Saltzman following the January 2010 police killing of Aaron Campbell. While the DOJ determined no federal law had been violated in the Campbell case, the agency did feel a review of bureau policies and practices are needed.