Judge: Recommend new federal monitor for Detroit police by Sept. 30

The Detroit News reports:

A federal judge wants the U.S. Justice Department and the city of Detroit to recommend a new federal monitor for the Detroit Police Department by the end of September, the judge said today.

U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr. set a timetable for replacing Sheryl Robinson Wood, who resigned last month after text messages reviewed by the FBI showed she had a "personal relationship" and inappropriate communications with former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

The monitor is charged with making sure police comply with two federal court orders the police agreed to in 2003 to settle lawsuits brought by the Justice Department over alleged civil rights abuses. One order relates to use of force; the other relates to arrests and the condition of holding cells.

Great moments in Blue America.