U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday directed the Justice Department to review consent decrees with law enforcement agencies across the country.
A two-page memo sent to DOJ officials cited the necessity to make sure the reform agreements don't conflict with the Trump administration's goals to promote officer safety and morale, according to The Washington Post.
The memo was released shortly before the department's civil rights lawyers asked a federal judge to delay a hearing on an agreement with the Baltimore Police Department that was announced just days before President Donald Trump took office.
"The Attorney General and the new leadership in the Department are actively developing strategies to support the thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country that seek to prevent crime and protect the public," DOJ officials said in the filing. "The Department is working to ensure that those initiatives effectively dovetail with robust enforcement of federal laws designed to preserve and protect civil rights."
The Justice Department opened 25 investigations into law enforcement agencies since 2009 and has been enforcing 14 consent decrees, along with other agreements.
Civil rights advocates fear the decision could affect the status of agreements that have yet to be finalized.
