DOJ Investigation of the Portland, Maine Police Department | Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse

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Case Name	DOJ Investigation of the Portland, Maine Police Department	PN-ME-0001
Docket / Court	No Court Case ( No Court )
State/Territory	Maine
Case Type(s)	Policing
Attorney Organization	U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Case Summary	In January 2002, Police Chief Michael Chitwood requested that the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ] review the polices, practices and procedures of the Portland, Maine Police Department. The DOJ conducted an investigation pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 14141 and issued a ... read more > In January 2002, Police Chief Michael Chitwood requested that the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ] review the polices, practices and procedures of the Portland, Maine Police Department. The DOJ conducted an investigation pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 14141 and issued a technical assistance letter to the department on March 21, 2003. In the letter, the DOJ made specific recommendations regarding changes to the department's policies in the following areas: use of force, use of force reporting and review, searches and seizures, complaints and investigations, early warning systems, training, and organizational concerns. As of the date of this summary, it is not clear whether the DOJ investigation remains ongoing. Dan Dalton - 01/23/2007 compress summary

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Issues and Causes of Action

Issues

Constitutional Clause

Unreasonable search and seizure

General

Excessive force

Failure to discipline

Failure to supervise

Failure to train

Inadequate citizen complaint investigations and procedures

Racial profiling

Plaintiff Type

U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff

Special Case Type

Out-of-court

Causes of Action

34 U.S.C. § 12601 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 14141)

Case Details


Defendant(s)	Portland Police Department
Plaintiff Description	United States Department of Justice
Indexed Lawyer Organizations	U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Class action status sought	No
Class action status granted	No
Filed Pro Se	Unknown
Prevailing Party	Unknown
Public Int. Lawyer	Yes
Nature of Relief	Unknown
Source of Relief	Unknown
Filed	2003
Case Ongoing	No reason to think so

Additional Resources


	Policing the Police: The Impact of "Pattern-or-Practice" Investigations on Crime https://www.nber.org/papers/w27324 Date: June 2020 By: Tanaya Devi, Roland G. Fryer Jr (Harvard Faculty) [ Detail ]
	Data examining the Department of Justice's civil rights investigations of local and state police departments Marshall Project Date: Jan. 17, 2017 By: Tom Meagher (Marshall Project) [ Detail ] [ External Link ]
	The Civil Rights Division’s Pattern and Practice Police Reform Work: 1994-Present https://www.justice.gov/ Date: Jan. 4, 2017 By: U.S. Department of Justice [ Detail ] [ External Link ]
	An Interactive Guide to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reforms https://www.justice.gov/ Date: Jan. 4, 2017 By: U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (U.S. Department of Justice) [ Detail ] [ External Link ]
	What Happens When Police Are Forced to Reform? Date: Nov. 13, 2015 By: Kimbriell Kelly, Sarah Childress and Steven Rich (Frontline/Post) Citation: Washington Post (Nov. 13, 2015) [ Detail ] [ External Link ]

Documents

Docket(s)

No docket sheet currently in the collection

General Documents

Investigation of the Portland, Maine Police Department

PN-ME-0001-0001.pdf | Detail
Date: 03/21/2003

People


Plaintiff's Lawyers	Brown Cutlar, Shanetta Y. (District of Columbia) show/hide docs PN-ME-0001-0001
Defendant's Lawyers	Poliquin, Beth (Maine) show/hide docs PN-ME-0001-0001 Wood, Gary (Maine) show/hide docs PN-ME-0001-0001