The Department of Justice announced an investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Louisville Jefferson County Metro Government that will include practices and decisions made during the past five years.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said they will be looking at whether any Constitutional laws were violated and whether the department’s policies were good ones.
Part of the goal of the Department of Justice’s investigation is to determine what needs to change.
That’s something that both LMPD officers and a bipartisan group of Louisville Metro Council members have asked for since at least 2017. That’s when both groups asked Mayor Greg Fischer for former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad’s resignation.
Fischer ignored their requests despite numerous problems, lawsuits and scandals.
LMPD faced criticism about the Explorer child sex abuse case, where two officers were found guilty of sexually abusing underage police cadets. There were numerous lawsuits filed accusing the department of racially profiling during traffic stops. That led to the dismantlement of the Mobile 9th Division.
The department also saw a mass exodus of officers who either retired, quit, or left for other departments. Many cited extremely low morale.
There was also the record-breaking increase in the number of homicides and shootings.
All of those problems were well before the deaths of Breonna Taylor and David McAtee.
Once the Department of Justice finished their investigation, the Attorney General will issue reports and recommendations. If the administration refuses to comply, he said, they could file a civil lawsuit.
The Attorney General said this isn’t only for the sake of the community, but also for the police officers themselves who have a difficult and dangerous job.
Source: WAVE
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