Today's release of the Department of Justice findings regarding the practices of the Louisville Metropolitain Police Department is damning. The DOJ not only found pattern and practices of blantant discrimination and misconduct, but widespread abuse of citizenry and disregard for the public welfare. Below find the first page of the Investigation of the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville Metro Government report's executive summary and a link to the entire report below.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law:
• LMPD uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers.
• LMPD conducts searches based on invalid warrants.
• LMPD unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing.
• LMPD unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops.
• LMPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.
• LMPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech critical of policing.
• Louisville Metro and LMPD discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.
We also identified deficiencies in LMPD’s response to and investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault, including its responses to allegations that LMPD officers engaged in sexual misconduct or domestic violence. These deficiencies raise serious concerns about whether LMPD engages in gender bias in providing policing services to women. Louisville Metro and LMPD exist to serve the community and keep people safe. Most Metro employees and LMPD officers are dedicated public servants who work hard to promote public safety. But Louisville Metro and LMPD fail to ensure that all employees uphold the federal constitutional and statutory rights of people in Louisville.
For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city. LMPD cites people for minor offenses, like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved. Some officers demonstrate disrespect for the people they are sworn to protect. Some officers have videotaped themselves throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars; insulted people with disabilities; and called Black people “monkeys,” “animal,” and “boy.” This conduct erodes community trust, and the unlawful practices of LMPD and Louisville Metro undermine public safety.
Failures of leadership and accountability have allowed unlawful conduct to continue unchecked. Even when city and police leaders announced solutions, they failed to follow through. In LMPD, officer misconduct too often goes unnoticed and unaddressed. At times, LMPD leaders have endorsed and defended unlawful conduct. A street enforcement unit that violated LMPD policy and federal law has been repeatedly rebranded, but never disbanded. p. 6 2 First-line supervisors regularly fail to monitor their officers and recognize misconduct when it occurs, and more senior leaders fail to demand better. Supervisors routinely overlook or even defend obviously excessive force, search warrants clearly lacking probable cause, unjustified no- knock entries, failures to document traffic stops in Black neighborhoods, and unnecessarily harsh treatment of people with disabilities.
Investigation of the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville Metro Government Report (United States Department of Jusitce)
DOJ report on Louisville PD - DocumentCloud