Justice Department opens probe of Louisville policing

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is opening a broad inquiry of the police department in Louisville, Ky., the second such investigation into a local law enforcement agency in the past week.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the probe, saying it will examine whether the Louisville police force engages “in unconstitutional staff searches and seizures, as well as whether the department unlawfully executes search warrants on private homes. It will also assess whether (Louisville Metro Police Department) engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race.”

Garland disclosed last week that the Justice Department would be conducting an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department a day after a former city police officer there was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a Black man whose death sparked widespread protests.

The Louisville Police Department has been under close scrutiny since the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, in March of last year. Taylor’s death did not initially garner as much attention as Floyd’s, but as protests grew nationwide over racial injustice, “Say her name. Breonna Taylor!” became part of the rallying cry.

Taylor, a 26yearold emergency room technician, was asleep with her boyfriend when police swarmed into her Louisville apartment. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired his gun once at the officers, believing they were intruders. The officers, who had obtained a “no knock” warrant to enter the apartment, fired a fusillade of bullets in return, at least six of which struck Taylor. Police were searching the house as part of a narcotics investigation into Taylor’s exboyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. No drugs were found in Taylor’s apartment.

Three Louisville police officers were fired as a result of the shooting, one of whom was indicted on state charges of endangering Taylor’s neighbors for firing recklessly in the apartment. No police officers have been charged in Taylor’s death.

The Justice Department was already conducting an investigation to see whether any civil rights laws were violated during the encounter.

The inquiry announced Monday by Garland is a separate civil probe that will delve into the “patterns and practices” of the Louisville department. The Justice Department will seek to determine if officers routinely engage in behavior that violates the Constitution. The probe is expected to delve into such matters as recruitment, training, policy and technology.

Such probes can result in courtoverseen agreements with the Justice Department, known as consent decrees, that require police forces to enact reforms.