US Attorney General Merrick Garland has confirmed that there exists a pattern of discriminatory policing practices in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. He announced in a press conference on Wednesday that a Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.” The department launched the investigation in response to the killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
“This conduct is unacceptable, it is heartbreaking,” Garland said. “It erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing and it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honor.”
Merrick Garland’s Announcement
The report states that the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.” It also uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. The report further cites violations of the rights of people engaged in protected speech in reference to protests in the city in the summer of 2020 after Taylor’s death. Police shot and killed the 26-year-old during a raid on her apartment after midnight on March 13, 2020.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city still “has wounds” that have yet to heal. We have to come to terms with where we’ve been, so we can get to where we want to be.” An attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor, Sam Aguiar, said in a statement responding to the news: “The department has damaged so many lives with little to no accountability. And our local prosecutors have not done a damn thing to assure that criminals with badges are treated like the criminals that they are.”
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