Cleveland police use force too often, poorly trained: Justice Department

WATCH: Attorney General Eric Holder has confirmed what many in Cleveland already knew. The Justice Department looked at hundreds of cases that included gun-toting officers inflaming routine situations, slanting their after action reports or not writing them at all.

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Justice Department says Cleveland, Ohio, police officers use excessive and unnecessary force far too often, are poorly trained and endanger the public and their fellow officers with their recklessness.

The Justice Department issued a report Thursday on the department. It says officers too often violate people’s civil rights because of inadequate training and a lack of supervision and accountability.

The department and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson have agreed to work toward the appointment of a court-appointed monitor to oversee police reforms.

WATCH: US Attorney General Eric Holder announces findings of report that shows Cleveland Police force engages in excessive use of force too often

The federal investigation was prompted by several highly publicized encounters, chiefly the deaths of two unarmed people who were shot in a hail of police gunfire in November 2012. The inquiry predates last month’s shooting of a 12-year-old boy outside a Cleveland recreation centre.