The Department, acting principally through the Civil Rights Division, is authorized under several civil statutes to investigate misconduct by law enforcement officers. These statutes include:

1. • Section 210401 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (formerly codified as 42 US.C. § 14141), which authorizes the Department to file suit challenging a pattern or practice of misconduct by law enforcement officers or by officials or employees of any governmental agency with responsibility for the administration of juvenile justice or the incarceration of juveniles that deprives persons of constitutional or federal statutory rights (see JM 8-2.262);

2. • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-7 (see JM 8-2.241); and

3. • Section 809(c) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 34 U.S.C. § 10228(c), which prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance granted from the Department of Justice (including law enforcement agencies) from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or religion, and is enforced through voluntary compliance efforts, administrative proceedings, and litigation.

Responsibility for enforcement of these statutes within the Civil Rights Division generally resides with the Special Litigation Section and the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section. The Special Litigation Section handles enforcement of Section 12601, as well as Title VI and the Safe Streets Act as those statutes relate to the conduct of law enforcement agencies, and the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section handles administrative enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. These Sections coordinate their police misconduct work with the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and the Department of Justice’s fund-granting components, including the Office of Justice Programs and the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section of the Criminal Division.

[updated January 2026]