Man’s death leads to federal investigations of Milwaukee police department
The death of Derek Williams while in the hands of the Milwaukee police department has sparked intensive investigations and lawsuits against the authorities, according to the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal.
Williams, 22-years-old at the time, was in custody of Milwaukee police after being arrested on suspicion of robbery. The squad car video that was carrying Williams shows him gasping for breath in the backseat and begging for help as officers ignored him for roughly eight minutes. After being determined as natural, the medical examiner's decision was overturned to a homicide.
While Williams' death may have sparked the civil rights lawsuit, the entire department is also undergoing a "pattern and practice investigation" from the FBI. In such an instance, federal investigations will scrutinize the way the department does everything – from booking to traffic stops – to determine if there are any patterns of abuse or discrimination. This comes from the Milwaukee department's history of suspicious police work over the past few years, according to the source.
"In general, if you have a very troubled department, a federal intervention is a very effective remedy," Samuel Walker, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, told the source. "And it appears that Milwaukee qualifies as a troubled department."
While the Milwaukee department is undergoing both a pattern and practice investigation as well as a civil rights investigation into Williams' death, there may be a plethora of lawyers and legal assistants at work in such an intense case. In order to ensure that these litigators, as well as anyone else involved, has access to the most accurate deposition transcripts, they may want to partner with Milwaukee court reporters.
Furthermore, using video deposition services and private conference rooms can also ensure that depositions and hearings go as smoothly as possible.
