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FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2014 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder talks with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at Drakes Place Restaurant in Florrissant, Mo. The Justice Department plans to open a wide-ranging investigation ... more >

Attorney General Eric Holder announcedThursdaythat the Justice Department will conduct sweeping civil rights investigations of the Ferguson Police Department and surrounding Missouri law enforcement offices following the August shooting of a black teenager.

We have determined that there is cause for the Justice Department to open an investigation to determine whether Ferguson Police officials have engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal law, Mr. Holder said.

Protests in Ferguson have been ongoing since the Aug. 9 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson.

Officer Wilson said that Brown attacked him and posed a danger, but the incident set off a wave of riots in the area and accusations that race was the primary factor in the shooting.

The DOJ has been investigating the specifics of the confrontation between Brown and Officer Wilson, butThursdaysannouncement indicates the start of a broader look at St. Louis County police forces, their demographics, and how they interact with the communities they serve.

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Holder announces federal civil rights probe of Ferguson police

Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday announced a sweeping federal civil rights investigation of the police department of Ferguson, Missouri, citing a deep mistrust between officers and the people who live there.

Holder said the investigation would determine whether officers in Ferguson had engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal law.

He said that the investigation would analyze police use of force, traffic stops, searches and the treatment of detainees. It will go beyond the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, by a white officer, Darren Wilson, on Aug. 9.

Four of the departments 54 officers are black, while the city population is about two-thirds black. State statistics have also shown that blacks in St. Louis County, including Ferguson, are more likely to be pulled over and more likely to be arrested during traffic stops than whites.

Holder said that his conversations with the people of Ferguson, when he visited in the aftermath of the Brown shooting, had shown the pattern of mistrust.

He said that Justice Department officials had also reviewed records, including racial statistics for police stops, before deciding the open the investigation. The Justice Department is investigating the Brown shooting separately, as is a grand jury in the St. Louis area.

The Ferguson mayor and police chief both told NBC News on Thursday that they welcomed the federal investigation.

In Ferguson, within feet of where Brown was killed, one man, Jerdonn Hill, told NBC News on Thursday that he welcomed the federal investigation because he does not trust local investigators to be unbiased.

Im not gonna say the whole force is bad, he said. He said that he had had a couple of run-ins with a lot of Ferguson officers, but not all of them bad, you know? Not all of them bad.

The Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said it had opened more than 20 similar investigations into police departments across the country over the past five years. It said it is enforcing 14 agreements to reform law enforcement practices at agencies large and small.

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Coming Up: Holder to Speak on Ferguson Probe

**FILE** Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division for the Justice Department Tony West speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington on Sept. 1, 2010. (Associated Press) more >

Attorney General Eric Holder said Tony West has been an indispensable member of the Justice Departments senior leadership team after the associate attorney general made public Wednesday his plans to step down Sept. 15.

Mr. West, who has served as associate attorney general since 2012, is an exemplary and dedicated public servant, and a close adviser and good friend, Mr. Holder said.

Mr. Holder lauded Mr. Wests accomplishments combating financial fraud, advocating for the rights of American native populations, and involvement on legal decisions pertaining to same-sex marriage.

Over the years, Tonys efforts have made a tremendous and lasting difference in the lives of millions of people across the country, Mr. Holder said.

Sources close to the department said Wednesday that Mr. West is departing to pursue a job in the private sector.

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Eric Holder bids goodbye to top lieutenant

Michael Brown #39;s parents meet with Eric Holder
Michael Brown #39;s parents explain to Anderson Cooper the impact of their meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder.

By: Reginald Salazar

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Michael Brown's parents meet with Eric Holder - Video

Levin: Eric Holder Debate-off
Mark offers to debate Holder. The full audio from two shows, with some editing to remove unrelated stuff. So far, there #39;s been no update acept one quick blurb (that I recall) on a later show...

By: tharpdevenport

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Levin: Eric Holder Debate-off - Video