Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas E. Perez on Wednesday announced a federal investigation into whether the Portland police are engaged in a "pattern or practice" of civil rights violations relating to officers' use of force.

The Civil Rights Divisions Special Litigation section will conduct the review with the U.S. attorney's office.

It will examine if there's a pattern or practice of excessive force used by Portland police, particularly against people with mental illness.

Perez, speaking at a news conference in the U.S. Attorney's office at the federal courthouse, said the review was prompted by the significant increase in police shootings over the last 18 months, the majority which involved people with mental illness.

Perez was joined today by Oregon U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton, Portland's mayor and police chief. Marva Davis, whose son Aaron Campbell was fatally shot by Portland police in January 2010, and James P. Chasse , whose son

, were among those who attended the news conference, with their lawyer, Tom Steenson.

Campbell's mother, Marva Davis, said changes in the police bureau need to be made.

"It gives us hope,'' Davis said.

Steenson, who said he has represented 10 to 12 families who have had loved ones who have either been fatally shot or wounded by Portland police, said he welcomes the federal investigation. He called the federal probe long overdue.

He said he hopes it accomplishes what many families, who have lost loved ones due

to unjustified police actions, have not. He said the bureau’s 25-year failure to discipline or terminate officers for use of deadly force — except in the recent Campbell shooting case — “leads to a culture where officers believe they can act with impunity.” He noted that some reforms recommended by the city’s paid consultants in 2003 - such as restricting police officers' fist strikes to suspect's heads, chests or groins - still have not been adopted by police.

"We hope the city of Portland, the Portland Police Bureau and the police union will open up and be receptive to change,'' Steenson said.

He added that he hopes the city, bureau and union will "not ignore, but "actually face up to its problems.''

After the Chasse family in May 2010 obtained a $1.6 million settlement with the city in its federal civil rights lawsuit for the death in custody of James P. Chasse Jr., the father retained a lawyer in Washington, D.C. to present the reams of documents obtained in discovery and depositions to the U.S. Department of Justice. Steenson said he believes that meeting with federal justice officials in the spring of this year also helped spur this investigation.

In the wider civil investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, which could last up to 1 1/2 years, special litigation attorneys in the civil rights division will evaluate bureau policies, procedures and practices, as well as specific officer-involved fatal shootings or deaths in custody, such as James P. Chasse Jr.'s death in 2006.

If violations are identified, the federal agency would recommend remedies and may monitor the Police Bureau until it's satisfied the bureau has addressed the problems.

Portland joins a growing number of police agencies, such as Seattle, Newark, N.J. and New Orleans, targeted for federal review in the last few years, under a

1994 law passed by Congress after the brutal beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.

“The Department of Justice is really stepping up their activities, regarding enforce´

ment of civil rights laws,” said Portland civil rights attorney Dennis Steinman.

The U.S. Justice Department began an investigation into Oregon's state mental hospital in 2006. In 2008, the Justice Department warned Oregon that care and conditions at the state hospital violated patients' rights. State and federal officials have been in talks since then to correct deficiencies and head off a lawsuit. Oregon leaders have said they want to avoid having a federal judge dictate what kind of mental health system the state has.

In 2010, the US Justice Department investigation expanded their inquiry beyond the Oregon State Hospital, to the state mental health care system. In addition to looking at conditions and care inside the mental hospital wards, the Justice Department is questioning how budget cuts affect the level of care people with mental illnesses receive in the community.

"We have two separate but unrelated investigations underway here,'' Perez said.

The federal officials said they also welcome any information from the community as they launch the investigation into Portland police use of force.

To contact the federal justice department, the public can send information via e-mail to community.portland@usdoj.gov or call 1-877-218-5228.