Milwaukee approves $5 million settlement on police searches

By Brendan O'Brien MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Milwaukee lawmakers on Tuesday approved a $5 million settlement with dozens of black men who were subjected to strip and body cavity searches they alleged were illegal, according to online documents. The settlement approved by the Common Council resolved a number of federal lawsuits filed against the city since 2012 by 74 men who accused Milwaukee police officers of violating their civil rights, said a letter from the city attorney's office. Four police officers were charged in 2012 with illegal searches and later convicted. A total of 131 officers were named in the federal lawsuits, said Miriam Horwitz, a deputy city attorney. Police departments across the United States have come under heavy scrutiny since high-profile killings of black men by police officers since mid-2014. Those killings have triggered waves of protest and fuelled a civil rights movement under the name Black Lives Matter. In December, the U.S. Justice Department granted a request by Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn to conduct a voluntary review of the department's procedures and practices. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Peter Cooney)