Sessions refuses to enforce law against illegal police activity

Mother Jones - During the Obama administration, the Justice Department began to aggressively enforce a 1994 law that grants it the power to probe local police departments accused of racial bias, excessive force, and other civil rights violations. Its investigations led to 15 reform agreements in large cities as well as smaller communities. Yet under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, these efforts to clean up troubled police forces are in peril. During his confirmation hearings, Sessions claimed DOJ investigations undermine police work—though he admitted he’d never read the scathing reports from Chicago or Ferguson. After taking office, Sessions said his department would be “reviewing” consent decrees to ensure they aligned with the Trump administration’s priorities. He aggressively fought the implementation of a court-ordered consent decree in Baltimore. Even though he lost that battle, a consent decree for the Chicago Police Department still hangs in the balance.