According to a leaked media report the DOJ is anticipated to claim the Ferguson Police Department has discriminated against minority offenders through the use of fines and penalties for legal infractions:

[Via The Hill] The Justice Department will soon release a report condemning the Ferguson, Mo., police department for actions that helped to foster bitterness within the city’s black community ahead of last year’s high-profile shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a police officer, according to The New York Times.

The report will point a finger at police for targeting black residents during traffic stops and using those fines to make up a significant portion of the budget, the newspaper reported. The Times reports that the Justice Department could release those findings this week. If the department doesn’t make clear strides to change its policies, it could face a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Racial tension in Ferguson came to a head last summer after then-officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in an altercation. A grand jury declined to charge Wilson, finding his use of force was justified. But many civil rights activists and others in the black community believe Wilson overreacted and that Brown didn’t pose a true threat to him. (read more)

The Saint Louis Post Dispatch reports that city and State officials are anticipating a Consent Decree proposal/agreement:

FERGUSON • Department of Justice officials are expected to discuss with state and city leaders Tuesday an ongoing federal probe into the police department, which means an announcement about whether the city will face legal action for civil rights violations could come within days, sources say.

The investigation is largely expected to result in a settlement, known as a federal consent decree.

It’s been looming over the police department in the months following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown on Aug. 9. (read more)