Six months after 18-year-old Michael Brown died in the street in Ferguson, Missouri, the Justice Department is close to announcing its findings in the racially charged police shooting that launched "hands up, don't shoot" protests across the nation.

The federal government has undertaken two separate investigations. One looks at whether criminal charges should be filed against the officer involved in the shooting, Darren Wilson. The other is a broader examination of the city's police department, including a search for discriminatory practices by officers.

Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation's first black to hold that office, has made civil rights a cornerstone of his six-year tenure. He says he expects to release results in both investigations before he leaves office, which means announcements could be coming within days. Here's a look at where things stand:

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THE FERGUSON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Already, federal officials have been clear that they see troubling signs in a police department that is overwhelmingly white yet serves a majority-black community, and the report is likely to detail problems found during the Justice Department's months-long probe. A 2013 report by the Missouri attorney general's office found that police stopped and searched black drivers far more often than white motorists, even though they were less likely to find contraband among the black drivers.

Investigations like this one aren't uncommon. Under Holder, the feds have delved into about 20 police departments, including those in Albuquerque, Cleveland and Newark, New Jersey, usually for discriminatory policing practices and large numbers of police-involved shootings. Most such cases end with police departments committing to make changes, though the Justice Department maintains the prerogative to take them to court when departments refuse to commit to reforms.

When he announced the Ferguson investigation in September, Holder revealed that the probe would focus on police use of force as well as stops, searches and arrests of suspects and the treatment of inmates at the city jail. He said that a "deep mistrust" had taken hold between law enforcement officials and members of the community.

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Justice Department Report to Fault Police in Ferguson

The New York Times 13 hrs ago By MATT APUZZO

© Whitney Curtis for The New York Times After Michael Brown’s shooting in Ferguson, Mo., many black residents protested what they called unfair treatment by the police.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has nearly completed a highly critical report accusing the police in Ferguson, Mo., of making discriminatory traffic stops of African-Americans that created years of racial animosity leading up to an officer’s shooting of a black teenager last summer, law enforcement officials said.

According to several officials who have been briefed on the report’s conclusions, the report criticizes the city for disproportionately ticketing and arresting African-Africans and relying on the fines to balance the city’s budget. The report, which is expected to be released as early as this week, will force Ferguson officials to either negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department or face being sued by it on civil rights charges. Either way, the result is likely to be significant changes inside the Ferguson Police Department, which is at the center of a national debate over race and policing.

Ferguson erupted into angry, sometimes violent protests after a white police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in August. The Justice Department investigated that shooting, and officials have said they will clear the officer of civil rights charges. That finding is also expected soon. But the report into the broader practices of the local police department will give the context for the shooting, describing the mounting sense of frustration and anger in a predominantly black city where the police department and local government are mostly white.

While the Justice Department’s exact findings are not yet known, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who is expected to leave office in the next few weeks, and other officials have said publicly that their investigation has focused on the use of excessive force and the treatment of prisoners in local jails as well as the traffic stops. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/justice-department-report-to-fault-police-in-ferguson/ar-BBi86ig