Louisville police ‘discriminate against blacks’, US Justice Department says

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky. – The US Department of Justice found that the Louisville police were involved in systematic violations of the constitutional rights and discrimination of the black community after an investigation initiated by the murder of Breonna Taylor by the police.

This was announced on Wednesday by Attorney General Merrick Garland. The Department of Justice report states that the Metro Louisville/Jefferson County government and the Metro Louisville Police Department are “engaging in a pattern or practice of behavior that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.”

The report states that the Louisville Police Department “discriminates against blacks in its law enforcement activities”, uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. He also said the department violates the rights of people participating in protected speech, such as during city street protests in the summer of 2020 after Taylor’s death. Garland said some officers attacked people with disabilities and called black people pejorative names.

“This kind of behavior is unacceptable, it’s heartbreaking,” Garland said. “This undermines the public confidence necessary for effective police work and is an insult to the vast majority of officers who risk their lives every day to serve Louisville with dignity.”

A major investigation announced in April 2021 is known as a “model or practice” investigation that looks into whether there are unconstitutional or illegal policing practices in the department. The city will sign a negotiated agreement with the Justice Department, and a federal official will monitor progress.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city “has wounds that haven’t healed yet.”

“We have to come to terms with where we have been in order to get to where we want to be,” Greenberg said.

Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was woken from her bed by police who broke through the door using a battering ram after midnight on March 13, 2020. Three officers opened fire after Taylor’s boyfriend, fearful of an intruder, fired the agent. in the leg. Taylor was wounded several times and died on the spot.

The warrant used to break into his home is now part of a separate federal criminal investigation, and the former Louisville agent has already pleaded guilty to facilitating the falsification of information about the warrant. No drugs were found in Taylor’s home. Two other officers are charged with investigating the warrant, and a third, Brett Hankison, is accused of putting Taylor and her neighbors in danger by hitting her in her apartment.

One of Taylor’s family lawyers, Ben Crump, said the family was encouraged by the Justice Department’s findings.

“These findings, and the LMPD’s expected collaboration with Justice Department-recommended remedial action, will help protect the citizens of Louisville and shape its police culture,” Crump said in a press release.

The report said that black motorists were more likely to be searched at stops and that police used neck restraints, police dogs and tasers against people who did not pose an immediate threat. Garland cited an incident in which two officers threw drinks at pedestrians and recorded the collisions. These incidents occurred in 2018 and 2019. Both officers face federal charges.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson welcomed the Justice Department’s findings but said federal lawmakers still need to step up and push for broader police reforms.

“As Congress continues to fail our country on police reform, at least the Justice Department is taking its job seriously. Today marks a major step towards police accountability and, if Congress decides to step up now, towards police reform,” Johnson said.

He added that the group praised Garland and the Justice Department for continuing to “pursue justice” and added, “Congress must rip a page out of its book, do its job, and pass the legislation needed to save innocent lives.” “.

Since Taylor’s murder, the Louisville police have gone through five leadership changes, and new mayor Craig Greenberg is interviewing candidates for the next chief. The city settled a number of lawsuits related to the crash, including a $12 million payment to Taylor’s family, which settled a wrongful death lawsuit.

Garland also cited some of the reforms the city has gone through since Taylor’s death, including a city law banning “no detonation” warrants in 2020. Warrants are commonly used in surprise drug raids. The city also launched a pilot program to send behavioral health professionals on multiple emergency calls, scale up community violence prevention efforts, and support officers’ health and well-being, the report said.

Also Wednesday, the Justice Department announced it would review the Memphis Police Department’s policy on the use of force, de-escalation strategies, and specialized units in response to Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating during arrest. The 29-year-old motorist died on January 10, three days after being forcibly detained.

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