By Ryan J. Reilly —
NBC News
An extensive federal investigation has revealed that the Metropolitan Louisville Police Department and the Metropolitan Louisville/Jefferson County Government engaged in an unconstitutional pattern of conduct by consistently using excessive force, conducting searches based on invalid warrants, and unlawfully discriminating black population in law enforcement activities.
The investigation, conducted by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, also found that
local police violated the rights of those "engaging in protected speech critical of police action"
and that some officers used racial slurs about black citizens.
According to the Department of Justice, the city has reached an agreement in principle to resolve the constitutional violations detected by federal investigators.
Breonna Taylor Family photo
The report is similar to those issued in several other cities, including Ferguson, Missouri, after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Former President Donald Trump's administration backtracked on federal investigations into unconstitutional police actions, and the investigation into Louisville was announced at the beginning of the Joe Biden government, in 2021.
The Louisville investigation followed the botched police raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020. Four Louisville officers were federally charged in August in connection with Taylor's death.
The Justice Department's investigation of patterns and practices was not a criminal investigation, but rather looked at broader and systemic issues in the police department.
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"Breonna Taylor was a symptom of problems we've had for years
," a Louisville Metropolitan Police Department official told federal investigators.
The report stated that the actions of police officers "do not come out of nowhere" and noted that "segregation, poverty and violence" affect police performance in this racially segregated city.
The Police Department, which is 81% white, was tasked with patrolling predominantly black neighborhoods.
The report notes that officers "have difficult jobs" and said that local police and metropolitan government "have not given officers and other employees the support and resources they need to do their jobs effectively and legally," and that they had “poor training, substandard facilities and equipment, and inadequate support for mental health and wellbeing”.
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“For years, the Louisville Metropolitan Police has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city,” the report states.
“He cites people for minor infractions like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved,” he adds.
“Some officers show a lack of respect for the people they are sworn to protect
,” the report continues.
“Some officers have recorded themselves throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars;
they have insulted people with disabilities and called black people 'monkeys', 'animal' and 'child'.
This conduct erodes community trust, and illegal practices undermine public safety,” he concludes.
Investigation into the death of Tire Nichols
The Department of Justice also announced Wednesday that it will review the Memphis (Tennessee) Police Department's use-of-force policies, de-escalation policies, and specialized units in response to the fatal beating of Tire Nichols during an arrest.
The review was requested by the city's mayor and police chief, the Justice Department said.
In addition, it will examine the use of specialized units across the country and develop guidance for police chiefs and mayors on their use, according to the announcement.
“In the wake of the tragic death of Tire Nichols, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are evaluating the use of specialized units and, when used, proper management, oversight, and accountability. of those units," said Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta.
The Justice Department previously opened a civil rights investigation into Nichols' death.
The city is also scheduled to release about 20 hours of video and audio footage related to the arrest of 29-year-old Nichols, who died on January 10, three days after his violent arrest at a traffic stop, on Wednesday.
These images will add to already public footage from police body cameras and a surveillance camera that have given the world a detailed look at the police beating of Nichols.
Authorities have named six officers who have already been fired in the case, and five of them now face second-degree murder charges.
Those five officers' own body cameras recorded them beating Nichols, leaning the badly injured Nichols in handcuffs against an unmarked police car, and then ignoring him as he struggled to his feet.
They have pleaded not guilty.
