The U.S. Justice Department sued the Virgin Islands Police Department and Police Commissioner Mario Brooks, alleging unconstitutional delays and burdensome conditions in processing gun-permit applications, including requiring bolted-in safes. The complaint is the Civil Rights Division's first major action since creating a dedicated Second Amendment section and cites recent Supreme Court guidance on gun rights. The filing follows related federal scrutiny of permit delays in Los Angeles County and reflects a broader shift in the division's enforcement priorities.
Justice Department Sues Virgin Islands Police Over Alleged 'Unconstitutional' Gun-Permit Practices
A sign on the wall of the U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
WASHINGTON, Dec 16 — The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Virgin Islands Police Department and Police Commissioner Mario Brooks, alleging the agency engaged in unconstitutional practices that resulted in improper denials and onerous conditions on gun-permit applicants.
Allegations and Details
The suit, brought by the Civil Rights Division, says the police department routinely delayed processing applications for firearm licenses and imposed unreasonable prerequisites before issuing permits — including requiring applicants to install bolted-in gun safes as a condition of approval. The department alleges these practices violate the Constitution and conflict with recent Supreme Court guidance on Second Amendment protections.
New Civil Rights Division Focus
This is the Civil Rights Division's first major case since the creation of a dedicated Second Amendment section, a structural shift that has drawn scrutiny from former division staff and gun control advocates who worry it departs from the unit's traditional focus on policing abuses, discrimination and civil-rights violations.
Broader Context
Congress gave the Civil Rights Division authority in 1994 to conduct pattern-or-practice investigations into systemic constitutional violations in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating. Historically that tool has been used mainly to investigate patterns of discrimination, excessive force and misconduct by law enforcement and detention facilities.
The lawsuit follows earlier action by the division this year: officials opened a pattern-or-practice inquiry into whether the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took excessive time to issue concealed-carry permits and later filed a lawsuit against the county over permit delays.
"The Virgin Islands Department of Justice is reviewing the filing in coordination with the Virgin Islands Police Department. The Bryan-Roach Administration is committed to protecting constitutional rights while maintaining public safety, and we will address the allegations through the legal process," a spokesman for Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said.
The case highlights renewed federal attention to Second Amendment enforcement amid an ongoing national debate over gun rights and public safety. The Justice Department's action signals heightened scrutiny of local permitting practices that federal prosecutors say may infringe constitutional protections.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio)
