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Garland said the DOJ \"also has the authority to bring a civil lawsuit\" and that when the DOJ \"finds unlawful practices or patterns or practices, the local police department enters into a settlement agreement or a consent decree to ensure that prompt and effective action is taken to align policing practices with the law.\"

\"PHOTO:
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Art Knight speaks with people gathered near a crime scene on June 16, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
>

In his remarks, Garland acknowledged the long history of \"the challenges we face.\"

\"They did not arise today, or last year, building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us. But we undertake this task with determination and urgency, knowing that change cannot wait,\" he said.

AP first reported the DOJ would make the announcement.

Garland had previously told ABC News' Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas during an interview he was \"shocked\" at the footage of George Floyd in custody when he first saw it and that the Justice Department is committed to using pattern or practice investigations to hold law enforcement accountable.

\"I said in my Senate Judiciary Committee testimony that I thought that pattern-or-practice investigations are an important tool of the justice department to ensure police accountability and ensure that departments are using the best methods,\" he said.

\"PHOTO:
Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: Attorney General Merrick Garland arrives to speak about a jury's verdict in the case against former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, at the Department of Justice on April 21, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
>

Garland waited until Wednesday to announce the probe so as not to influence the state trial against Chauvin, senior DOJ officials said.

Career officials in the DOJ's Special Litigations Section had previously been in touch with stakeholders on the ground as part of a preliminary review of the Minneapolis Police Department practices, officials said, and those career officials made the recommendation that led to formally opening the civil investigation.

MPD was informed Wednesday morning that the investigation had been launched and has since issued a statement pledging cooperation, according to the officials.

The DOJ is already enforcing 16 settlements with law enforcement agencies, including 12 consent decrees that came out of previous pattern or practice investigations, according to a fact sheet provided by the Justice Department.

It has four open investigations that have been made public, including Wednesday's newly announced probe.

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