“You’re Not Going to Investigate a Federal Officer”

A ProPublica analysis reveals that local police often defer to federal authorities when federal agents are involved in shootings, even when those shootings result in injury or death to civilians. Since September, local police did not investigate six of twelve shootings by on-duty federal agents. In other cases, investigations were initiated, but in Minnesota, state police were blocked from investigating by the Trump administration. The article highlights an incident in a Chicago suburb where local officers deferred to the FBI after a federal agent fatally shot a Mexican immigrant. Legal experts and advocates argue that local authorities should exercise their power to investigate and prosecute federal agents who violate state laws, citing a lack of accountability when federal agencies investigate themselves.

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