United States Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch holds a press conference on December 3, 2015. (AFP)
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch today announced a federal probe into the Chicago police department's use of force, prompted by the 2014 shooting death of a black teenager.
"The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether the Chicago Police Department has engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law," she said.
"Specifically, we will examine a number of issues related to the Chicago Police Department's use of force, including its use of deadly force; racial, ethnic and other disparities in its use of force; and its accountability mechanisms," she said.