By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – After receiving information that police officers had used excessive force and conducted illegal searches, the Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into their practices in another U.S. town. Officials said they were investigating whether there was a systemic problem in Mount Vernon.

After protests against police brutality in U.S. cities, the department’s Civil Rights Division launched inquiries into Minneapolis, Phoenix, Kentucky police officers.

Kristen Clarke (assistant U.S. attorney General for the Civil Rights Division) and Manhattan’s U.S. Lawyer Damian Williams announce the investigation into possible abuses in Mount Vernon. This city, with a population around 70,000, has its own police department.

Clarke stated that investigators would examine evidence that Black residents were targeted for abuse and excessive force, and that some police officers may have been teaching such targeting.

She said that the inquiry was motivated by public information and tips.

Clarke claimed that Clarke had information on the use of excessive force against people who were handcuffed. Clarke said that reports also indicate officers conducted routine searches, without sufficient legal foundation, which included strip searches.

Mount Vernon spokesperson said they were preparing to release a statement about the matter and have a news conference.

Biden made racial justice his top priority following the police shooting of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis by an officer. Floyd was later convicted and sentenced to death.