Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday the results of the investigation into the Louisville (Kentucky) Police Department following the death two years ago of Breonna Taylor.
The investigation, launched in April 2021 after nearly a year of protests over the killing of Taylor, a black woman, by Louisville Police Department officers, was intended to assess the type of force used by the Louisville Metro Police. The investigation includes possible violations of the First and Fourth Amendments and possible discriminatory police actions.
In this regard, the Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded that the Louisville police violated civil rights in their actions. Federal officials found that the police department discriminated against blacks, used excessive force, and violated the free speech rights of people who criticized the police. In his statement, Merrick Garland noted:
This unacceptable and unconstitutional conduct erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing. It is also an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line to serve Louisville with honor. And it is an affront to the people of Louisville who deserve better.
According to the report, the Louisville police department "discriminates against black people in its enforcement activities," uses excessive force, and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. He also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected expression, such as the street protests which took place in the city in the summer of 2020.
The death of Breonna Taylor
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was awakened from her bed by police officers who entered her home as part of an anti-drug trafficking operation on the night of March 13, 2020. Three officers opened fire after Taylor's boyfriend shot an officer in the leg (he claimed he thought it was an intruder). Taylor was hit several times and died at the scene. The agents had a "no-knock" search warrant, which allowed them to enter the apartment without identifying themselves. Such orders were banned in the city after the event.
The search warrant had been approved as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found in the house. After her murder, Taylor became a prominent figure whose death was seized upon by the Black Lives Matter movement to inflate its demands. Taylor's death came months before the murder of African-American George Floyd.
A grand jury declined to indict the officers for the murder. Civil rights charges were filed against four agents. The city agreed to pay $2 million to settle claims brought by Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. The warrant used to enter his home is now part of a separate federal criminal investigation, and a former Louisville officer has already pleaded guilty to helping falsify information on the warrant.
