Attorney General Eric Holder is convinced that there’s major problems within the Ferguson Police Department, and he’s willing to dismantle the entire force if necessary.
In an interview with Friday’s White House pool reporter on the Department of Justice’s critical Ferguson report, Holder said, “We are prepared to use all the powers that we have…to ensure that the situation changes there. That means everything from working with them to coming up with an entirely new structure.”
When asked by The Washington Times’ David Boyer if that meant dismantling the police department, the AG replied, “If that’s what’s necessary, we’re prepared to do that.”
Holder said that he was “shocked” by his department’s findings and called the practices of Ferguson police “appalling.” (RELATED: Report: DOJ Blames Ferguson Police Practices On Racial Animosity)
“The notion that you would use a law enforcement agency or law enforcement generally to generate revenue, and then the callous way in which that was done and the impact that it had on the lives of the ordinary citizens of that municipality, was just appalling. Appalling. And that is not something that we’re going to tolerate,” he told the pool reporter.
The attorney general hopes the report serves as a wake-up call to all police departments across the country.
“I hope they’re listening to these comments and understand the intensity with which the feelings are felt at the federal government level to ensure that we use all the tools that we can to make sure that what happened in Ferguson is uncovered and simply does not happen in any other part of the country,” Holder stated.