Louisville on high alert before Taylor decision
Ruling from state AG could come this week
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Police restricted access in the downtown Louisville, Kentucky, area Tuesday in anticipation of an announcement on the Breonna Taylor case by state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
The police department also declared a state of emergency Monday in order to provide for adequate staffing for whatever situations arise, interim police Chief Robert Schroeder said Tuesday.
That order is separate from any declaration that would come from the city.
All department off days and vacation requests were canceled Monday to “ensure we have the appropriate level of staffing to provide for public safety services and our policing functions,” Louisville police had previously announced.
Schroeder said the department’s state of emergency order did not apply to all residents of the city; a citywide state of emergency would come from Mayor Greg Fischer, he said.
A decision in the Taylor case could come as soon as this week. The downtown federal courthouse will be closed in anticipation of an announcement.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday evening that he could not comment on his discussions with Cameron about a decision timeline.
Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was fatally shot by Louisville police in March.
Since
May,
protests,
demonstra
tions and marches have roiled Louisville. Among the calls for reform is the demand that the officers involved in her death be arrested and criminally charged.
Those officers are Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Myles Cosgrove and ex-Detective Brett Hankison, who was fired in a decision he is contesting.
The police department said early Tuesday that the barricades downtown are in order to keep the area safe for “those coming downtown to express their First Amendment rights, as well as those who live and work in the area.”
Police put up vehicle barricades around Jefferson Square Park, the site of ongoing protests, and across the downtown perimeter and will restrict access even further near the park, with only pedestrian access allowed.
Officers are restricting access to more
than 25 blocks downtown, allowing in only those who live or work in the area.
The department apologized for the “inconvenience” to those who live and work downtown and stressed in a statement that LMPD officials do not know when Cameron’s decision will come.
“Our goal with these steps is ensuring space and opportunity for potential protesters to gather and express their First Amendment rights, & to prepare for any eventuality to keep everyone safe,” Fischer said in a tweet.
The plan to erect barricades ahead of a decision in the Taylor shooting was made long ago by police and the mayor’s office but not announced earlier to avoid giving away tactics, Louisville police spokesman Lamont Washington said. The city started erecting barriers around midnight, and about 3:30 a.m. a public notice went out, he said.