Its officials are quite successful at going into a community suffering disturbances, identifying the community leaders and bringing all the factions together in a constructive dialogue. The bureau would not do any independent investigation until after those local probes had been completed. It would then forward the results of those inquires to Justice's Civil Right Division. Ultimately it will be up to Civil Rights attorneys in Justice to determine whether there appear to be any federal civil rights violations in the death of Timothy Thomas. Prosecutions would follow if the Civil Rights lawyers determined there was a federal interest that needed to be vindicated, and if there appeared to be sufficient evidence to bring a case.
Prosecutors have to prove that the police officer willfully violated a person's civil rights.
If you consider cases that seemed slam-dunk, like Amadou Diallo or the Prince Georges' canine squad, you'll see what I mean. But don't forget the attorney general said he'll enforce the laws that are on the books. Halls of Justice appears every Friday. For the rest of the day's U.S. news, click here . ABC News Internet Ventures.