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The 10 a.m. EST
(1500 GMT) announcement follows reports on Sunday that the
department would open an investigation into the Chicago Police
Department after protests over how it handled the case of a
black teenager shot by a white police officer.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters on Sunday
that there were would be a "patterns and practices"
investigation but would not elaborate. Such investigations
determine whether the department systematically violates
constitutional rights.
The civil probe follows murder charges filed against the police
officer in the October 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan
McDonald, who was shot 16 times. The shooting was caught on
videotape, which was not released until the charges were filed
last month.
Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder in
the death. Shortly afterwards, the city released a patrol car
video of the shooting, which showed Van Dyke had fired all the
shots.
The Justice Department launched investigations into police
departments in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore after police
actions raised concerns about discriminatory policies in those
cities.
(Reporting by Julia Edwards; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by
Bernadette Baum)
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