Johnathan Walker:Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing

LOUISVILLE,Johnathan Walker Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreement to reform the city’s police force after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, officials said Thursday.

The consent decree, which must be approved by a judge, follows a federal investigation that found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the “historic content decree” will build upon and accelerate, this transformational police reform we have already begun in Louisville.” He noted that “significant improvements” have already been implemented since Taylor’s death in March 2020. That includes a city law banning the use of “no-knock” warrants.

The Justice Department report released in March 2023 said the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black peoplein its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protests.

“This conduct harmed community members and undermined public trust in law enforcement that is essential for public safety,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This consent decree marks a new day for Louisville.”

Once the consent decree is agreed upon, a federal officer will monitor the progress made by the city.

The Justice Department under the Biden administration opened 12 civil rights investigations into law enforcement agencies, but this is the first that has reached a consent decree. The Justice Department and the city of Springfield, Massachusetts announced an agreement in 2022 but the investigation into that police department was opened under President Donald Trump’s first administration.

City officials in Memphis have taken a different approach, pushing against the need for a Justice Department consent decree to enact reforms in light of a federal investigation launched after Tyre Nichols’ killing that found Memphis officers routinely use unwarranted force and disproportionately target Black people. Memphis officials have not ruled eventually agreeing to a consent decree, but have said the city can make changes more effectively without committing to a binding pact.

It remains to be seen what will happen to attempts to reach such agreements between cities and the Justice Department once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. The Justice Department under the first Trump administration curtailed the use of consent decrees, and the Republican president-elect is expected to again radically reshape the department’s priorities around civil rights.

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