U.S. Attorney General to announce findings of Cleveland police probe

By Julia Edwards
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder makes a statement about the grand jury decision not to seek an indictment in the Staten Island death of Eric Garner during an arrest in July, in Washington December 3, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will announce on Thursday the findings of a Justice Department investigation of police in Cleveland over possible civil rights violations such as excessive use of force. The investigation began in March 2013, before a Cleveland police officer, Timothy Loehmann, last month shot dead a 12-year-old boy, Tamir Rice, who was carrying what turned out to be a toy gun on a playground. Any findings of civil rights violations would result in measures to force reform on the department, possibly including an independent federal monitor, but would not carry criminal charges. Holder is scheduled to speak at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cleveland at 1:15 p.m. EST. (Reporting By Julia Edwards; Editing by Grant McCool)