The Justice Department on Wednesday announced that investigators found “reasonable cause to believe” that the Louisville Metro Police Department violates people’s civil rights following a probe launched after the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor.
Among other findings, federal officials determined that LMPD discriminates against Black people, uses excessive force and violates the free speech rights of people who are critical of police.
“This unacceptable and unconstitutional conduct erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday. “It is also an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line to serve Louisville with honor. And it is an affront to the people of Louisville who deserve better.”
Officials said both LMPD and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro government “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law.” Both agencies have entered an agreement with the Justice Department to address the findings through a court-enforceable consent decree, authorities said.
“Our investigation found that the police department and city government failed to adequately protect and serve the people of Louisville, breached the public’s trust, and discriminated against Black people through unjustified stops, searches, and arrests,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
“The police used excessive force, subjecting people to unlawful strikes, tasings, and canine bites. The police sought search warrants without justification and carried out no-knock warrants unlawfully, evading the constitution, defying federal law, and putting ordinary citizens in harm’s way.”
The Justice Department launched an investigation into the practices of the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro government and LMPD in April 2021, more than a year after police shot and killed Taylor while serving a no-knock warrant at her apartment in March 2020. The 26-year-old’s death sparked protests nationwide.
A federal grand jury subsequently indicted four officers on civil rights charges related to Taylor’s death. In August, former Officer Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to violate Taylor’s rights.
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