Justice Department launches portal to report civil rights violations

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced today the launch of a new online tool to help the public report civil rights violations.

The Civil Rights Reporting Portal — at civilrights.justice.gov — will consolidate 30 different reporting pathways, according to a news release.

The form is fully accessible to people with disabilities and available in English and Spanish. More languages will be added in the next year, the release said.

“The protection of civil rights remains a top priority of the Department of Justice,” said Scott Brady, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “This new portal dramatically eases the burden on victims of civil rights violations who are trying to identify the proper reporting channel.”

People can report hate crimes, racial discrimination, the willful use of unreasonable force by a police officer and other violations of civil rights through the portal, Brady said.

“The Civil Rights Reporting Portal will make it easier for the public to connect with us,” Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, of the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement, “which in turn makes us more effective at upholding these important rights.”

The new portal comes after weeks of demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died May 25 when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Across the country, Black Lives Matter protests have occurred nearly every day since.

In Western Pennsylvania, a group of Pittsburgh activists have demanded police reforms in the city and Allegheny County, and Mayor Bill Peduto released a statement last week promising the city would improve when it comes to equity and civil rights.