On Dec. 17, President Joe Biden delivered a speech at South Carolina State University, for their 2021 Fall Commencement Ceremony. The speech, given to a class of graduates from a HBCU, (Historically Black College & University), included the following, On police reform, I share the frustration — and I know the family well — George Family [Floyd] Justice Act and Policing Act. I know the family well. It’s not been passed in the Senate, but the fight is not over. (Applause.)
Despite Republican obstructionism on this bill, we’ve made changes to federal law enforcement policies that I have the ability to do with the stroke of a pen. The Justice Department has banned chokeholds, restricted no-knock warrants, required federal agents to wear and activate body cameras It — also ending the Justice Department’s use of private prisons, rescinding previous administration requirements that U.S. attorneys seek the harshest penalties.
“The Justice Department has opened a pattern-or-practice investigation into systemic misconduct in police departments in Phoenix; Louisville; Minneapolis; Mount Vernon, New York,” said Biden.
The President’s negative referece to the Mount Vernon PD was based on a Dec. 3 announcement that the Justice Department has opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD). “The investigation will assess whether MVPD engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing. The investigation will also assess MVPD’s use of force, strip and body cavity searches, and how it handles evidence.”
Federal officials said they had reviewed public information, including news reports, and complaints from residents over the police department’s conduct.
In 2019, the Gothamist broke the cover on the misconduct at the MVPD with an expose from former Police Officer Murashea Bovell. https://gothamist.com/news/mount-vernon-police-tapes-secretly-recorded-calls-officers-allege-beatings-custody-and-illegal-strip-searches
“We’ve struggled for years to get this message out. We’re happy the Justice Department finally heard us,” said Joseph Murray, Bovell’s attorney, who said he and his client have shared information with federal officials.
In May 2021, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah requested that the Justice Department conduct a review of the MVPD. “The Westchester District Attorney’s Office is engaged in ongoing criminal investigations of certain individual MVPD police officers,” DA Rocah said. “In the course of those investigations, based largely on publicly available information, we have found disturbing allegations of patterns of inappropriate and potentially unlawful conduct by several former and current members of the MVPD. We have provided information that we gathered in this respect to DOJ.”
“While our criminal investigations of individual officers continue, we are requesting that DOJ scrutinize the MVPD’s operations, training and policies to determine whether the MVPD is systematically violating peoples’ civil rights and, if so, to take action to address these matters.”
