DOJ Report Finds LMPD Infringed on Constitutional Rights of Citizens

乍看上去

• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report indicating that the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) has infringed upon the constitutional rights of its citizens, particularly those of Black individuals.
• The report found that LMPD disproportionately targeted Black people compared to their white counterparts for various offenses.
• The report also found that some officers exhibited a lack of respect for the people they are responsible for protecting.
• The LMPD has been noted for issuing citations for minor offenses, while more serious crimes remain unsolved.
• In response to the report, Louisville has agreed to enter into a consent decree that will be overseen by a federal judge.

细节

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Report

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report on Wednesday indicating that the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) has been found to have infringed upon the constitutional rights of its citizens, particularly those of Black individuals.

The report, which was conducted by Attorney General Merrick Garland, spanned the years 2016 to 2021 and included interviews with hundreds of police, citizens, clergy, defense lawyers, judges and others, as well as reviews of thousands of hours of police body camera videos.

The report found that LMPD has employed a forceful approach to policing that is applied selectively, particularly towards Black people, but also towards vulnerable individuals throughout the city.

LMPD was observed to disproportionately target Black people compared to their white counterparts for various offenses such as loitering and traffic stops, in which federal officials reported that they were 50% more likely to be searched than white drivers.

The report also found that some officers exhibited a lack of respect for the people they are responsible for protecting, using derogatory language such as “monkey, animal and boy.”

LMPD Practices

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) has been noted for issuing citations for minor offenses, such as wide turns and broken taillights, while more serious crimes, such as sexual assault and homicide, remain unsolved.

A report has proposed 36 suggested changes to the LMPD’s practices in regards to serving search warrants and other areas identified as needing improvement.

The LMPD has already implemented some changes, including prohibiting “no-knock” searches.

Breonna Taylor Case

This report follows the death of Breonna Taylor, who passed away after officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) entered her southwest Louisville apartment with a battering ram at 12:40 a.m. on March 13, 2020. No officers were indicted or prosecuted by the Kentucky Attorney General’s office in relation to Taylor’s death, although some were later dismissed or resigned.

The case has led to the passing of laws that either ban or limit no-knock search warrants, and has also resulted in various changes and reforms at LMPD, some of which are still pending, following a $12 million settlement between the city and the Taylor family.

Response to the Report

In response to the report, Louisville has agreed to enter into a consent decree that will be overseen by a federal judge who will monitor the city’s progress in implementing reforms.

City officials estimated in 2021 that the reforms at LMPD prompted by the DOJ investigation could cost Louisville up to $10 million annually.

Interim LMPD Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel promised to make the department one of the most highly-regarded in the United States.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg commented on the report, noting that it presented a “detailed account of our department’s past” and promised to alter “how we recruit, train and manage our more than 1,000 officers.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted an investigation, led by Hillard Heintze, which resulted in 102 recommendations to address issues within the department.

These issues included a lack of mutual trust and equitable treatment across Louisville’s neighborhoods.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been conducting a separate investigation into the killing of Breonna Taylor, and the DOJ has charged several Louisville officers in separate cases since 2020.