World Bulletin/News Desk

The Obama administration’s top lawyer said Wednesday that the police department whose officer shot and killed an 18 year-old black man that lead to mass protests, is in need of “wholesale change.”

“I think it’s pretty clear that the need for wholesale change in that department is appropriate. Exactly what the forms of that change will be I think we’ll wait until we complete our inquiry,” Attorney General Eric Holder told an audience at the Aspen Institute think tank.

The Justice Department is investigating the Aug. 9 shooting death of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown by white Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson, as well as allegations of past cases of discrimination within the department.

Brown's death led to large-scale protests and subsequent clashes between enraged demonstrators and heavily armed police. The vivid scenes of tear gas and riot gear directed at protesters garnered international media attention. The protests have continued at various levels since, sometimes drawing thousands to the area.

Earlier this month, hundreds of demonstrators from around the country went to St. Louis and its suburb to call for justice for Brown and to decry police violence. 

During a question and answer session Holder stood by previous remarks in which he characterized America as a “nation of cowards” when it comes to racial issues.

“I think that we are still too reluctant to talk about issues of race,” he said, noting that Americans have an “episodic interest in race.”

“Without confronting these racial issues that continue to divide us, and really going beyond conversations, coming up with concrete actions, we’re going to continue to face these kinds of problems,” he added.