AG Eric Holder in Chicago Friday: Law enforcement roundtable

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder hits Chicago on Friday to discuss law enforcement issues in the wake of violence that erupted after a Missouri grand jury declined to indict a white police officer who shot an unarmed African-American teen in Ferguson, Mo. The Justice Department is conducting two probes — civil and criminal — of the incident.

Chicago will be the latest of a series of meetings Holder is holding on “Building Community Trust.” The Chicago session will include U.S. Attorney Zach Fardon, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel will also attend.

“The roundtable will serve as an opportunity to bring law enforcement, elected officials and members of the community together to discuss next steps that the administration will take to improve relationships between law enforcement and the community, increase the integrity within our justice system, and share best practices for policing,” the Justice Department said in a release.

Background, from the Justice Department: The Attorney General hosted the first Building Community Trust roundtable meeting at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Monday, December 1. There, he discussed President Obama’s announcement regarding the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, the federal review on the use of military-style equipment for local law enforcement, and the new Community Policing Initiative to fund up to 50,000 additional body-worn cameras for law enforcement agencies. Since then, the Attorney General held similar roundtable discussions in Cleveland, OH, and Memphis, TN. The next roundtable discussions will take place in Oakland, CA and Philadelphia, PA in the coming weeks.