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Attorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday that "there is reasonable cause to believe that the Cleveland Division of Police engages in a pattern and practice of using excessive force," after Justice Department investigators examined nearly 600 cases of use of force that occurred between 2010 and 2013.

Holder went on to say that Cleveland and the Justice Department had agreed on a statement of principles that will lead to a consent decree.

The investigation in the Cleveland Police Department was launched in March 2013, "following a number of high profile use of force incidents and requests from the community and local government to investigate the [police department]," the report released Thursday said.

The report cited specific incidents, including a January 2011 police chase of an unarmed man, who suffered "kicks to the head" after he had "surrendered to officers and was handcuffed and prone on the ground." None of the officers filed a report on the use of force, and none "were appropriately disciplined for failing to report the use of force."

In another incident from November 2012, the report said, "over 100 Cleveland police officers engaged in a high speed chase, in violation of [Cleveland Division of Police] policies, and fatally shot two unarmed civilians. [Cleveland Division of Police] officers ultimately fired 137 shots at the car, killing both its occupants."

The unreasonable practices the Justice Department found included the following:

Justice Department investigators also said the division doesn't adequately review and investigate the use of force by its officers or fully investigate misconduct allegations or identify and respond to patterns of at-risk behavior.

The Justice Department and Cleveland Police Department so far have only agreed to come to an agreement about how to address this problem. They will work out the details of that agreement -- the so-called "consent decree" -- in the coming months, but it will include a requirement for an independent monitor who will oversee necessary reforms.

Holder invoked the names of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was killed in Cleveland in November, noting that there are ongoing federal civil rights investigations for each of those incidents. The Justice Department's investigation predates the recent shooting of Rice, and CBS News has learned that while that incident was not taken into consideration in the investigation, it will be considered as an agreement on changes that must be made within the Cleveland Division of Police.

"The tragic losses of these and far too many other Americans - including, just last month, the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice here in Cleveland - have raised urgent, national questions. And they have sparked an important conversation about the sense of trust that must exist between law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect."

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Eric Holder: Cleveland police engaged in pattern of excessive force

The U.S. Department of Justice will launch a civil-rights investigation into a New York mans police-involved death by apparent chokehold after a grand jury declined to indict the officer, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday evening.

Holder made televised remarks from a lectern in Washington, D.C., as protestors began to gather and march at several locations around New York City in response to the grand jurys decision in the case of Eric Garner. Federal prosecutors would conduct a independent, thorough, fair and expeditious investigation into Garners death, Holder said, after acknowledging he informed Garners widow that the Justice Department would launch the inquiry. His death was a great tragedy, he added. All lives must be valued, all lives.

MORE: Behind the Video of Eric Garners Deadly Confrontation With New York Police

A city medical examiner had previously ruled Garners death a homicide caused by compression of the neck (chokehold) and chest compressions he incurred while being subdued by police on July 17. Officers on Staten Island accused Garner of selling untaxed cigarettes and had attempted to arrest him, which he protested. Footage of the altercation, shot by a friend, shows a group of policemen forcing Garner to the ground as one of them, officer Daniel Panteleo, appears to put Garner in a chokehold, which is banned by the citys police department.

Holder appealed for calm Wednesday as protestors gathered in New York and Washington in response to the announcement. The news came about a week after a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., decided not to indict white officer Darren Wilson in the death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The Justice Department is also investigating that case.

The Attorney General also began a series of conversations in communities across the country between police officers and minorities to improve relations between the two groups. Holder said such conversations would proceed as we seek to form trust and foster understanding.

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Justice Department to Investigate Eric Garners Death

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce the findings of a Justice Department civil rights investigation into the Cleveland Police Department Thursday afternoon. Investigators have been examining whether there are any patterns of unnecessary and excessive force. This is the same kind of investigation the Justice Department launched into the Ferguson Police Department after one of its officers, Darren Wilson, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old.

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NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the expected grand jury decision in the chokehold death of Eric Garner and the...

The announcement this afternoon is an intermediary step in the process of the investigation. Should the Justice Department determine there is a pattern or practice of the use of unnecessary and excessive force, it will start working with the city to come to an agreement--called a "consent decree"--about what changes must be implemented within the police department. While such agreements are tailored to the problems within the specific department, they usually include more training, agreeing to federal monitoring, and a list of specific changes to department practices. The Justice Department recently announced a consent decree with the Albuquerque Police Department.

Holder will make this announcement at approximately 1:15p.m. from Cleveland, where he is hosting a round table discussion as part of a tour of several U.S. cities where he will meet with local leaders and discuss relations between the community and law enforcement. He is also expected to visit Memphis, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Oakland in the coming weeks.

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Holder to announce findings of investigation into Cleveland Police Dept

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that he's launching a civil rights investigation into the chokehold death of Eric Garner following a Staten Island grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer who killed him.

"The Justice Department will proceed with a federal civil rights investigation of Mr. Garner's death," Holder announced, saying it will be "independent, thorough, fair and expeditious."

He called Garner's death a tragedy, and said that work that must be done to restore trust between police departments and their communities. Holder also asked that any protests linked to the case be peaceful.

Holder and U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch informed New York Mayor Bill de Blasio about the investigation before the announcement. Lynch, who has been nominated to succeed Holder as attorney general, has been monitoring the case.

Garner's family has asked for such a probe for months.

New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gilibrand called earlier in the day for a Department of Justice probe after the grand jury decision.

Gillibrand in a statement called the death of the Staten Island father of six a "tragedy that demands accountability."

Nobody "unarmed should die on a New York City street corner for suspected low-level offense," the statement added. "I'm shocked by this grand jury decision, and will be calling on the Department of Justice to investigate."

A group of New York City Council members, led by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverto also called for a federal probe.

Garner, 43, died July 17 when he was apparently placed in a chokehold after police accused him of peddling untaxed "loose" cigarettes and arrested him on the street.

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Holder launches federal probe into Eric Garner death

122604122602122602Holder: Cleveland PD engaged in pattern of excessive forceAfter a 22-month long investigation into the Cleveland Police Department's practices, the Justice Department said that it found reason to believe the city's police engages in a "pattern or practice of using excessive force," Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.2014-12-04 13:00:00disabled2365381302-kIHK0T8nCctrue

The Cleveland Division of Police has exhibited a pattern of unnecessary and excessive uses of force, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.

Holder, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney General Vanita Gupta, announced the findings at a news conference, revealing a Justice Department civil rights investigation into the Cleveland polices use of force that was launched in March 2013.

The investigation, Holder said, revealed unnecessary and excessive examples of deadly force, use of tasers and pepper spray, and force against the mentally ill even in cases where police were called simply for a welfare check. Holder added that, in many of the situations where force was used, the confrontations were caused by the use of poor and dangerous tactics.

In response, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson signed an agreement that will commit the city and the police to develop a court enforceable consent decree, including the hiring of an independent party to monitor future reforms.

Accountability and legitimacy are essential for communities to trust their police departments, said Attorney General Eric Holder in a DOJ statement, and for there to be genuine collaboration between police and the citizens they serve.

The full report can be read below:

The full Justice Department can be read here:

WASHINGTON Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Justice Departments civil rights investigation into the use of force by the Cleveland Division of Police has found a pattern or practice of unreasonable and unnecessary use of force. To address these findings the Justice Department and the city of Cleveland have signed a statement of principles committing them to develop a court enforceable consent decree that will include a requirement for an independent monitor who will oversee and ensure necessary reforms.

Accountability and legitimacy are essential for communities to trust their police departments, and for there to be genuine collaboration between police and the citizens they serve, said Attorney General Eric Holder. Although the issues in Cleveland are complex, and the problems longstanding, we have seen in city after city where we have been engaged that meaningful change is possible. There are real, practical and concrete measures that can be taken to ensure not only that police services are delivered in a constitutional manner, but that promote public safety, officer safety, confidence and collaboration, transparency, and legitimacy.

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Holder: Cleveland Police Department engages in pattern of using excessive force