The Justice Department is reportedly planning to launch a civil rights probe focused on the Ferguson, Missouri, police force in the wake of last month's controversial shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white officer.
Citing two federal law enforcement officials, the Washington Post reported Wednesday that the investigation would also look at the practices of other police departments in St. Louis County, according to Reuters.
The investigation could be announced as soon as Thursday afternoon and will be conducted by the department's civil rights division, the Post said.
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The Justice Department has already begun a civil rights investigation into the deadly Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown, 18, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The Post said the new probe "will look more broadly at whether the department employed policies and practices that resulted in a pattern of civil rights violations."
A St. Louis County grand jury has begun hearing evidence in the shooting, which sparked violent protests in the St. Louis suburb and drew global attention to race relations in the United States.
The incidents highlighted the racial divide in Ferguson, a majority black community of 21,000 residents where almost all the police force and local politicians are white. Civil rights activists say Brown's death followed years of police targeting blacks.
Police in Ferguson came under sharp criticism, especially in the first several days of demonstrations, for arresting dozens of protesters and using heavy-handed tactics and military gear widely seen as provoking more anger and violence by protesters.
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