WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department said Friday that it will review the Orlando Police Department’s response to the attack last month at a gay nightclub.
The city police department faced questions after the June 12 shooting at the Pulse nightclub, in which a gunman who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State killed 49 people, about whether it had waited too long after the rampage began to send in a SWAT team.
The Justice Department will examine the police department’s preparedness and response, as well as strategies and tactics it used during the massacre.
The review will be led by the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services office, which offers technical assistance to departments who have experienced high-profile events and emergencies.
Among past reports from the office was one last year that examined the police response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man. That report called on police to strengthen policies for handling protests and to improve training on diversity, among other recommendations.