PHILADELPHIA, May 30 (UPI) -- Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he is requesting a U.S. Justice Department review of police-involved shootings in the city.
In an interview with Philly.com, Ramsey said he is concerned about the increase in police use of deadly force. Philly.com reported two weeks ago police shootings in 2012 were up 50 percent over 2011.
The city has had six police shootings in the past week, including two on Wednesday, WPVI-TV reported. One man was critically wounded after allegedly firing at officers in a police van.
"When you have as many as we've had, it gets people wondering if they were all justified," Ramsey told Philly.com. "We've been looking at this issue since December. The Civil Rights Division of the DOJ knows and agrees this is a good course of action."
The federal review is to begin in July and to be paid for by the federal government's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The Justice Department is to examine Philadelphia's policy on the use of deadly force, its training and tactics and procedures.
Ramsey ordered a similar review when he was police chief in Washington.
