Washington ( CNN ) -- Miami police have engaged in a pattern of excessive use of force through officer-involved shootings , the Justice Department said on Tuesday . The Justice Department conducted a comprehensive investigation and found that officers intentionally shot at people on 33 separate occasions from 2008 until 2011 and the police department concluded three of those instances were unjustified . The Justice Department said a number of additional shootings were `` questionable at best . '' The findings also noted that seven officers participated in more than a third of the shootings in question . The Justice Department also concluded the police department did not conduct timely investigations of such shootings . In addition , the findings said the police had `` deficient tactics '' and that improper actions had been taken by specialized police units . The review started in November 2011 after seven young African-American men were fatally shot by officers over eight months . Community leaders appealed to the federal government to take action . Roy Austin , the deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights , said there had been a similar investigation of the Miami Police Department a decade ago . Officials thought improvements had been made and closed the case without obtaining a court-supervised agreement . Austin said the Justice Department this time plans to get a plan that would fall under judicial oversight . `` Miami has to reform deadly force and has to do it for a sustainable period of time so we do n't have to come back in a decade , '' said Austin . The civil rights investigation looked only at patterns within the police department and did not address whether specific officers should face criminal charges .
Justice Department has looked at shootings involving police . Police conclude police intentionally opened fire three times from 2008 - 11 . NEW : Shooting of African - American youth in Miami prompted review . NEW : Justice Department officials want judge to review any agreement with police officers .