The U.S. Justice Department has opened 12 investigations into possible civil rights abuses by police departments since Democratic President Joe Biden took office, but has not secured even one binding settlement to implement reforms in any of them.

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A Reuters review of the probes shows that the Justice Department under Biden has moved at a slower pace than it maintained in Democratic President Barack Obama’s first term.

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During Obama’s first four years, the department opened 17 such investigations and reached negotiated settlements with four jurisdictions - Seattle; New Orleans; East Haven, Connecticut, and Portland, Oregon. During Obama’s second term, an additional eight investigations were opened and the department obtained 14 more agreements or court-ordered reforms.

Most involved a consent decree, a court-approved settlement that typically commits police departments to systemic reforms and often involves oversight by an independent monitor.

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