MIAMI – Seven recent fatal shootings of African-American suspects by Miami police officers is the subject of a hearing at the city commission.

Family members of those killed and community activists are expected Thursday to air their concerns at the meeting. Some claim officers are too aggressive and often too prone to shoot.

Police Chief Miguel Exposito says the confrontations have resulted from a crackdown on violent crime on inner-city neighborhoods long plagued by drugs, gangs and murders. Exposito says in most cases officers are protecting their own lives or the lives of others.

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has asked the U.S. Justice Department to open a civil rights probe. Wilson is concerned that black suspects are treated with greater violence than those of other races.