Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson, Mo., Police Department on Aug. 9 fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown, causing the public to demand immediate response from all levels of law enforcement and elected officials. One month later, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. responded by announcing that the U.S. Department of Justice was launching a comprehensive investigation into the shooting, as well as the pattern and practices of the Ferguson Police Department’s use of excessive force.
The fact of an investigation is itself noteworthy — DOJ Civil Rights has publicly announced only three such investigations in 2014. But what can the DOJ really do?
