Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—April 21, 2015. The Justice Department announced today that it has opened pattern or practice investigations into the use of investigative holds by the Ville Platte Police Department (VPPD) and the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office (EPSO). The investigations will focus on allegations that VPPD and EPSO officers use “investigative holds” to detain individuals without proper cause, and on the adequacy of VPPD and EPSO’s training, supervision and accountability mechanisms to prevent unlawful seizures. The Justice Department’s investigations will determine whether VPPD and EPSO officers engage in a pattern or practice of using investigative holds in violation of the Constitution and federal law.
