Civil Rights Enforcement

Overview

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana (USAO), in coordination with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, is charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws for all persons in the Northern District of Indiana. These laws prohibit discrimination, protect the constitutional rights of residents of this District, and ensure equal opportunity for all.

Civil Rights Enforcement (Civil)
Enforcing federal civil rights laws in the Northern District of Indiana is an integral part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s mission. This enforcement extends to laws that protect voting rights, servicemembers’ rights, and other federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by the Department of Justice. The Civil Division enforces more than 20 statutes prohibiting discrimination, including without limitation:

• Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq.
   
• Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.
   
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000 et seq.
   
• Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq.
   
• Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Law Enforcement Misconduct Statute), 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (formerly 42 U.S.C. § 14141)
   
• Voting Rights Act, 52 U.S.C. §§ 10301 et seq.
   
• Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), 50 U.S.C. § 3901 et seq.
   
• Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLIUPA), 42 U.S.C.§ 2000cc.
• The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, 38 U.S.C. § 4301, et seq.

Civil Rights Enforcement (Criminal)
The USAO’s Criminal Division works with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to enforce laws pertaining to criminal civil rights matters, including hate crimes, human trafficking and police brutality. The Criminal Division enforces the following criminal laws:

• Deprivation of Rights under Color of Law, 18 U.S.C. § 242
   
• The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, 18 U.S.C. § 249
   
• Church Arson Prevention Act , 18 U.S.C. § 247
   
• Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, 18 U.S.C. § 248
   
• Violent Interference with Federally Protected Rights, 18 U.S.C. § 245
   
• Conspiracy Against Rights, 18 U.S.C. § 241
    

Civil Rights Outreach
In addition to investigating and prosecuting violations of federal civil rights laws, the USAO also conducts outreach with and training for advocates, state and local agencies, and community members throughout the district.  Our outreach efforts are aimed at engaging with the public to identify and redress civil rights violations, but also to proactively educate people on their rights to prevent civil rights violations. 

Reporting of Civil Rights Violations
Our Office is committed to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the Northern District of Indiana. We welcome information from the public that brings our attention to possible violations of our nation’s civil rights laws. To inform the United States Attorney’s Office of a civil rights issue or complaint, please complete this Complaint form and mail or fax it to the following address below:

United States Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Indiana

5400 Federal Plaza, Suite 1500

Hammond, Indiana 46320

Telecopy: 219-937-5550

Please be aware that although the scope of our civil rights practice is broad, our authority to investigate and seek relief for individual complaining parties for alleged civil rights violations is limited.  We can only investigate and seek to remedy alleged discriminatory conduct when authorized by a specific statute and in the manner proscribed by that statute.  In some instances, this means that we can only investigate and seek to remedy patterns or practices of unlawful discriminatory conduct, not individual incidents.