Justice Department will aid Pasco police

PASCO, Wash. (AP) — The federal office of Community Oriented Policing Services will offer technical assistance and training to the Pasco Police Department. That was announced Wednesday following a request from U.S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby and Pasco Police Chief Robert Metzger. The agency is an arm of the Department of Justice and says the move is prompted by the recent shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, an unarmed Hispanic man, by Pasco police that led to weeks of protests in the central Washington city. The COPS Office will work with Pasco police over the next 12 months, providing training in community policing and problem-solving, fair and impartial policing and procedural justice. The office has recently worked with police in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri; Detroit; Seattle; New Orleans and San Diego.