The U.S. Justice Department is prepared to sue the Missouri-based Ferguson Police Department for alleged racial discrimination if the department doesn't take action on its own, sources told CNN.
The possible lawsuit comes three months after a state grand jury cleared Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager whose killing sparked months of protest and a reevaluation of relations between police and people of color in the U.S.
A federal investigation into Brown's death was launched to see if Ferguson police had a pattern of discriminatory tactics against low-income minorities. Justice Department officials are expected next Tuesday to announce such alleged discrimination, and if Ferguson police don't change tactics, they will be sued, CNN reported.
Officials are also expected to announce no federal charges will be filed against Wilson for the 18-year-old's death.
"I think everybody will see when we announce our results that the process that we have engaged in is... independent, thorough, and based on all the facts," Attorney General Eric Holder said according to CNN.
"And I am confident that people will be satisfied with the results that will be announced."
Ferguson and police precincts in other states have been thrown into the national spotlight for alleged questionable activity against racial minorities, including North Miami Beach Police in Florida who were accused last month of using mug shots of black men for target practice.
On Thursday, an anonymous letter was found at a Connecticut police station with the words "White Power" and insults against black officers.
Thomas Jackson, police chief of the Ferguson department, told CNN he has received "nothing new" about the federal investigation.
"Everything they suggested in the past has been reasonable and we have tried to comply," he said.
