Since the early attempts, Mr. Walker said, consent decrees have evolved to be more sophisticated and comprehensive. His critique did not extend to how well consent decrees actually work. Some reform advocates have expressed fears that the Trump administration will fail to investigate police departments or enforce consent decrees, robbing them of what they view as a crucial lever to compel change. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyEven some police chiefs might mourn a retreat from consent decrees. Sessions wrote in his critique of consent decrees in 2008 that he is aware of that strategy.

Source: New York Times January 14, 2017 16:14 UTC