Cook County Sheriff wants federal probe into Harvey police

HARVEY, Ill. (WLS) -- The Cook County Sheriff wants a federal investigation into the Harvey Police Department.

Tom Dart has sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for help. Dart says the suburb has dozens of unsolved homicide and sexual assault cases, as well as excessive force issues.

The sheriff's office completed their own investigation in August. Dart says many of their recommendations have fallen on deaf ears.

The City of Harvey said in a written response: "Sheriff Dart's allegations against our department lack merit. We have addressed every finding in which the DOJ recommended in their prior assessment. The DOJ indicated in their summary that it found no pattern of excessive force within our department. We are experiencing our lowest violent crime rate in over 20 years."