The Department of Justice has set aside $3 million in grants and established a National Response Center aimed strengthening police reforms and reducing the use of excessive force by law enforcement.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said the group’s recommendations would be a “guiding influence” as the city makes changes to police policies and budgets to restructure police operations.
The number of minority officers in policing has more than doubled in the last three decades, but many departments still have a smaller percentage of Black and Hispanic officers compared to the percentage of the general population those communities make up.
After protests in the city over the killing of 27-year-old Ricardo Munoz, leaders said the city needs more mental health professionals.
Voters in the city of Pittsburgh will get to decide in November whether to give the Citizen Police Review Board more power.
Surveillance video showed the unnamed officer putting his knee on the man’s head and neck area twice while he was being restrained a few steps from the emergency room entrance.
One lawsuit accuses Philadelphia police of lobbing teargas and firing rubber bullets at protesters indiscriminately.
