Current:Home > ContactJustice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing -ValueCore
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
View
Date:2025-04-23 07:51:45
LOUISVILLE, 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.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Porsche, MINI rate high in JD Power satisfaction survey, non-Tesla EV owners happier
- Browns QB Deshaun Watson continues to make a complete fool of himself
- Police announce second death in mass shooting at upstate New York park
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- USA skateboarders Nyjah Huston, Jagger Eaton medal at Paris Olympics
- Texas senators grill utility executives about massive power failure after Hurricane Beryl
- You Need to Run to Kate Spade Outlet ASAP: Jewelry from $12, Wristlets from $29 & More Up to 79% Off
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- When the science crumbles, Texas law says a conviction could, too. That rarely happens.
Ranking
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- USWNT dominates in second Paris Olympics match: Highlights from USA's win over Germany
- USA Women's Basketball vs. Japan live updates: Olympic highlights, score, results
- Hawaii man killed self after police took DNA sample in Virginia woman’s 1991 killing, lawyers say
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Lana Condor mourns loss of mom: 'I miss you with my whole soul'
- Video shows a vortex of smoke amid wildfire. Was it a fire tornado?
- Jennifer Stone Details Messy High School Nonsense Between Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus Over Nick Jonas
Recommendation
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Olympic surfer's head injury underscores danger of competing on famous wave in Tahiti
Olympic Games use this Taylor Swift 'Reputation' song in prime-time ad
Trump agrees to be interviewed as part of an investigation into his assassination attempt, FBI says
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Sliding out of summer: Many US schools are underway as others have weeks of vacation left
Iowa now bans most abortions after about 6 weeks, before many women know they’re pregnant
US regulators OK North Carolina Medicaid carrot to hospitals to eliminate patient debt