Cleveland, May 27 (RHC)-- The U.S. city of Cleveland has agreed to some of the toughest limits on the use of police force under a settlement with the federal government.

According to reports, officers are now barred from firing warning shots and pistol-whipping suspects, and can no longer use force against those who talk back or run away. The police force will also undergo increased training on racial bias and will be tracked by an independent monitor.

The consent agreement was reached after the U.S. Justice Department sued Cleveland over a pattern of unlawful abuses uncovered in a probe last year. It comes just days after an officer was acquitted in the fatal shootings of two unarmed African Americans in their car, sparking protest demonstrations.