How U.S. Justice Department disarmed its police reform effort

Members of the St. Louis Police Department detain Luther Hall, who later was identified as an undercover police officer, during racial injustice protests in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., September 17, 2017. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In 2017, a white St. Louis policeman was acquitted of murdering a Black man. The verdict sparked days of protests and clashes with police. Before shifts that week, two officers texted colleagues, expressing excitement.

“Let’s whoop some a**,” officer Christopher Myers wrote, according to texts obtained by federal agents. Later, he added: “The bosses are being a little more lenient with the use of force by us.”