Story highlights Sessions expressed skepticism about consent decrees during his confirmation hearing

He has said police departments "often feel forced to agree to a consent decree"

(CNN) Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered the Justice Department to undertake a comprehensive review of all police reform activities, including any existing or contemplated consent decrees, according to a memorandum released Monday.

The directive from the nation's top law enforcement officer comes at a critical time for several major cities, including Baltimore and Chicago , which revealed unconstitutional patterns of racial discrimination and excessive force in policing in length reports.

In certain cases during the Obama administration, the Justice Department negotiated formal reform agreements with the cities, usually in the form of a "consent decree," which are then overseen by a federal court.

The two-page memo instructs the department to immediately review all "collaborative investigations and prosecutions, grant making, technical assistance and training, compliance reviews, existing or contemplated consent decrees, and task force participation," in order to ensure that they fully promote the Trump administration's goals of working with law enforcement "to ensure public safety."

Sessions' skepticism about the effectiveness of consent decrees was discussed at length during questioning at his Senate confirmation hearing.

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