Newark, New Jersey recently reached an agreement with the Justice Department (JD) to reform its police department. The Justice Department says the Newark police department “has engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional stops, searches, arrests, [and] use of excessive force and theft by officers” that has “had a disparate impact on minorities” in the community.

Once a judge formalizes the consent decree to enact the reforms, Newark will join Cleveland, Ferguson, New Orleans, Albuquerque, Portland, and numerous other cities in having their police monitored by the Justice Department.

While Justice Department oversight of local police is expanding under public pressure — Chicago and Baltimore are next on the reform deck — there is little evidence that these reform efforts are effective.