U.S. probes New York City police unit over 'gender-biased policing'

The U.S. Justice Department said it has opened a probe into a division of the New York City Police Department to determine if it engages in gender-biased policing, including in its handling of investigations of sexual assault and treatment of survivors.

The investigation into the department's Special Victims Division (SVD) will include a comprehensive review of the policies, procedures and training for SVD investigations of sexual assault crimes, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday.