DOJ probe into Minneapolis police will push to reform departments 'nationwide': Former NYPD lieutenant

AG Merrick Garland's DOJ investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department is going to impact policing across the entire nation, former NYPD Lt. Joe Cardinale revealed on "Your World with Neil Cavuto" Thursday.

"This is going to go nationwide. Because it’s not just one thing they’re looking for. They’re looking for every piece of evidence they can get against any cop across the nation and they’re going to use it to try to reform police departments," he said. "But to what extent do you reform a police department?"

Cardinale said that policing in the U.S. is already under a lot of stress considering the violent unrest and slander against law enforcement that has taken place in the last year. He explained the only way to restrict incidents from occurring like George Floyd and Daunte Wright is by weeding out the "bad apples," not condemning the entire police system.

AFTER DEREK CHAUVIN VERDICT, GARLAND ANNOUNCES DOJ MINNEAPOLIS POLICING PROBE

"To bring the attorney general in to start scrutinizing the police department the way they plan to do it – it’s going to really have a ripple effect that’s going to go across the nation," he said.

The former lieutenant expressed that many police departments will choose to shut down "to a degree" instead of taking chances they normally would while on the job.

"Why would you?" he asked. "Just think about it. You have your career on the line. You have your family on the line. Everything is on the line for a split-second decision that you have to make that nobody understands what it’s like to make it."

"I don’t think any police officer gets up that morning and says, ‘It’s a great day to kill somebody.’ It never happens that way."

With constant anti-police rhetoric and reform taking place, Cardinale said the love for being a police officer "has diminished" across the board.

"I can’t say it’s a great job anymore," he said. "The people are great. The cops are great. The people that stand behind the cops are not so great."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The attorney general announced Wednesday that the DOJ will be conducting a "fully comprehensive review" into Minneapolis police following the guilty verdict of ex-officer Derek Chauvin.

Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.