(Louisville) Police in the heartland city of Louisville repeatedly used excessive force and resorted to other illegal, discriminatory and racist practices, a landmark federal investigation concluded Wednesday.
The report follows the March 13 slaying of Louisville hospital emergency room worker Brona Taylor, who was shot by at least eight bullets in her own apartment. 2020.
M ruleme Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American, has sparked national outrage, his name echoed in protests that have rocked America in 2020 during a massive protest against racism and police brutality in reaction to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The report by federal officials, written after two years of investigations, was released Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, by U.S. Justice Secretary Merrick Garland, who was on a special visit from Washington.
In its conclusions, his ministry condemns the “aggressive policing practices” of the police in Louisville, “performed selectively against the black population in particular”.
“Police have been filmed throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars, insulting people with disabilities or calling black people ‘monkeys’ or ‘animals,'” the report notes.
Federal investigators also noted that officers in Louisville misused police dogs or Taser-type stun guns. They also allege that during arrests, they too often resort to strangulation to neutralize suspects.
The report also condemns unreasonable roadside checks, illegal searches and searches, and continued harassment of minorities.
“By acting this way, Louisville police have undermined their public safety mission and damaged their relationship with the residents they serve and protect,” Garland said.
In 1992, after Los Angeles police officers beat and killed a black taxi driver, Rodney King, the framework for law enforcement investigations was established by the US Congress.
In nearly three decades, the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened dozens of investigations into police departments. Targeted metros include Miami, Cleveland, New Orleans, Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Baltimore.
These investigations may lead to the release of a report, dismissals, or binding court rulings, or under the supervision of a judge or even a settlement agreement.
Eight federal investigations have been opened since Joe Biden came to the White House, specifically involving police in Minneapolis, Phoenix or Oklahoma City.
Coincidentally, the latest federal investigation was officially launched Wednesday into Memphis police. It was in this Tennessee town that Dyer Nichols, a 29-year-old African-American, was fatally beaten by police officers in January and died three days later.
