The DOJ found a pattern of misconduct in the Louisville police department. Now what?
The Louisville Metro Police Department has a pattern of violating civil rights, conducting unlawful searches and discriminating against Black people and people with disabilities, according to federal authorities.
The U.S. Justice Department came to that conclusion after a two-year investigation into the department, which began a year after the police killing of Breonna Taylor and determined it was far from the only example of officers' unlawful conduct between 2016 and 2021.
Officials detailed their findings in a 90-page report released Wednesday, which asserts that LMPD has long "practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city."
Examples include using excessive force (including "unjustified neck restraints"), conducting searches based on invalid warrants, executing search warrants without knocking or announcing themselves, unlawfully searching and arresting people during traffic stops and violating the rights of people "engaged in protected speech critical of policing."
It also accused the department of discriminating against Black people in its enforcement activities and against people with behavioral health disabilities while responding to them in crisis.
The report "paints a very painful picture of our past," says Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who took office in January.
He tells Morning Edition that he ran for office knowing he would inherit the report, unaware of what its findings would be but resolved to act on them "so that everyone has a police department that they trust and that they are proud of."
"Many of the incidents that the Justice Department has in its report are infuriating to read, and really infuriating examples of abuse that no one is proud of to happen in their city or any city," he says. "It's unacceptable, inexcusable, and we are focused on where we go from here."
The report recommends 36 improvements the department can make in areas from training (especially around the use of force and search warrants) and documentation to internal affairs and civilian oversight.
Justice Department and Louisville officials have also said they will work together towards a legally enforceable list of reforms known as a consent decree.
Greenberg believes Louisville is "moving in the right direction," noting that the city made some policy changes even before he was elected in November and a new interim police chief took over at the start of the year.
And he echoes the Justice Department's assessment that the majority of Louisville officers are committed to public service for the right reason, though he said that doesn't excuse any of the incidents that took place.
"It doesn't excuse it in the past, it wouldn't excuse it if it takes place right now, and so we are going to focus on that reform, improvement on training, on improving supervision on changing the culture and moving forward from here," Greenberg says.
Greenberg spoke to Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep about what those next steps might look like.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
On whether he thinks Louisville's Black residents, who make up nearly a quarter of the population, have fundamentally different experiences with the police
Historically, maybe even still today, yes, which is unfortunate. And that's what we need to work on, one of the many things that we need to work on. We need to ensure that regardless of what race you are, what your gender is, whether you're a child or an adult, that you see police as someone who is here to help you, there to keep you safe, and that there are incidents when they use the appropriate level of force, they do not use excessive force. So we are going to have a lot of continued conversation and collaboration not just with the Department of Justice but also with the community to ensure that our entire community can trust the police department.
On what he thinks needs to be in the consent decree
Just from our conversations with the Department of Justice over the past few days and yesterday, they are very focused on our training, ensuring that we have the right leaders in place at LMPD and that they have the right training for all of our officers. And then there's supervision of the training, that there's reports of the trainings that we can see very early if there are any patterns that emerge where things aren't going right, and ensure that our officers have the training they need to do constitutional and effective policing. And so I think our LMPD is ready to embrace this — it was definitely a difficult day for them as well yesterday — but we need to deal with the hard truths of the past so we can move forward together as a community.
On whether he's getting any pushback from people concerned about crime
I think everyone in the community wants a good police department; nearly everyone that I've ever interacted with supports having a great police department. In fact, in Louisville right now we actually need more officers — we are nearly 300 officers short, which means we have fewer officers working in the neighborhoods, with community leaders, with members of the clergy, with small business owners that are working to prevent crime. And so I am strongly supportive of having more police officers, we are just going to make sure they have the right training and resources and leadership they need so that they can work collaboratively with the community, in a way that we're proud of, to prevent crime.
On whether it's possible to increase police funding while reforming the police
That is our goal, yes.
The audio interview was edited by HJ Mai.
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Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
OK, Morgan mentioned city officials agreeing to negotiate solutions. So we have called an official who would have to do that. Craig Greenburg is mayor of Louisville. Mayor Greenberg, welcome to the program.
CRAIG GREENBERG: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: OK, so now that the Justice Department has said the death of Breonna Taylor is not an isolated incident, part of this much wider pattern of abuse, what does that say about your department?
GREENBERG: Well, this report certainly paints a very painful picture of our past. Many of the incidents that the Justice Department has in its report are infuriating to read and really infuriating examples of abuse that no one is proud of to happen in their city or any city. It's unacceptable. It's inexcusable. And we are focused on where we go from here. I've been mayor for two months now, so I ran for office knowing I would inherit the report, not knowing what the findings - what would be...
INSKEEP: Yeah.
GREENBERG: ...What they would be, but knowing that I would embrace the findings and embrace the opportunity to reform and improve our police department, to improve our city government, to improve our city as a whole so that everyone has a police department that they trust and that they're proud of.
INSKEEP: Mayor, of the various things you just said there, I'm thinking about the phrase a portrait of our past. Is this also a portrait of the present, the way the Louisville police are now?
GREENBERG: We have made some changes. Our city, even before I was made mayor - elected mayor - started to make some changes that have started to move us in the right direction. And I, when I took office on January 2, put in a new interim chief of police, Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, who I am very proud of the work that she has done in the last two months. And so I truly believe that we are moving in a new direction. As the Department of Justice said yesterday in its report, the overwhelming majority of our officers are good and honorable people who are committed to public service for the right reason. None of that excuses any of the activities that took place. It doesn't excuse it in the past. It wouldn't excuse it if it takes place right now. And so we are going to focus on that reform improvement on training, on improving supervision, on changing the culture and moving forward from here.
INSKEEP: Do you think the roughly one-fourth of Louisville residents who are Black have a fundamentally different experience with the police than everybody else?
GREENBERG: Historically and maybe even still today, yes, which is unfortunate. And that's what we need to work on - one of the many things that we need to work on. We need to ensure that regardless of what race you are, what your gender is, whether you're a child or an adult, that you see police as someone who are there to help you, that - there to keep you safe, and that when there are incidents that they use the appropriate levels of force. They do not use excessive force. So we are going to have a lot of continued conversation and collaboration, not just with the Department of Justice, but also with the community to ensure that our entire community can trust the police department.
INSKEEP: You're going to negotiate this consent decree, which, we'll just explain for people, that would be some court-supervised document where you would agree to do very specific things. Of course you've still got to negotiate it, but what's one thing that you think is going to have to be in there that you can change?
GREENBERG: Well, I think just from our conversations with the Department of Justice over the past few days and yesterday, they are very focused on our training, ensuring that we have the right leaders in place at LMPD and that they have the right training for all of our officers, and then there's supervision of the training, that there's reports of the training so that we can see very early if there are any patterns that emerge where things aren't going right and ensure that our officers have the training that they need to do constitutional and effective policing. And so I think our LMPD is ready to embrace this. It was definitely a difficult day for them as well yesterday, but we need to deal with the hard truths of the past so we can move forward together as a community.
INSKEEP: Do you hear voices on the other side of this debate, out in the community, people essentially saying, Mayor, be careful, don't call off the police? We are concerned about crime. Make sure the police can still do their jobs. Is that part of the debate as well?
GREENBERG: I think everyone in the community wants a good police department. Nearly everyone that I've ever interacted with supports having a great police department. In fact, in Louisville right now, we actually need more officers. We are nearly 300 officers short, which means we have fewer officers working in the neighborhoods with community leaders, with members of the clergy, with small business owners that are working to prevent crime. And so I am strongly supportive of having more police officers. We are just going to ensure they have the right training and resources and leadership they need so that they can work collaboratively with the community in a way that we're proud of to prevent crime.
INSKEEP: Yes or no question, if you can do it - can you increase police funding while also reforming the police?
GREENBERG: That is our goal, yes.
INSKEEP: OK. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, thanks so much, sir.
GREENBERG: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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