The Justice Department has decided to dismiss lawsuits that are currently pending against several local police departments, including Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis. They are moving to drop police reform agreements within the states, which were launched after the 2020 police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Officials say the lawsuits were filed during Biden’s administration to investigate the patterns and practices of unconstitutional behavior in the police departments.
Justice Department Investigation
Since the Trump administration took office, Harmeet K. Dhillon was appointed the Assistant Attorney General, and the Justice Department went through major changes, specifically in the Civil Rights Division. The lawsuits follow the DOJ’s investigations of the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government for violating civil rights.
According to a press release by the Justice Department, those police departments were found to use excessive force, conduct unlawful searches and seizures, unlawful stops and arrests, violate free speech, and discriminate against black people. While the departments cooperated with the investigations, these dismissals will only reaffirm the patterns and practices. Instead of protecting the residents of these communities, violating constitutional rights will continue.
Lawsuits Dismissed
On Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Dhillon said, “Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda. Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
In addition, several other investigations into policing will cease, including Phoenix, Trenton, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City; and the Louisiana State Police. This is not the first time the Civil Rights Division was forced to pull back on police oversight. In Trump’s first term, it happened in several large cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, and St. Louis.
Despite the Justice Department dismissing these lawsuits, the Louisville mayor and police chief will continue reforming their police departments. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg stated, “We are moving ahead rapidly to continue implementing police reform that ensures constitutional policing while providing transparency and accountability to our community.” He continued, “I made a promise to our community, and we are keeping that promise.”
Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero also made a statement confirming the agreement with the state of Minnesota. “While the Department of Justice walks away from their federal consent decree nearly five years from the murder of George Floyd, our Department and the state court consent decree isn’t going anywhere.” She explains, “Under the state agreement, the City and MPD must make transformational changes to address race-based policing. The tremendous amount of work that lies ahead for the City, including MPD, cannot be understated. And our Department will be here every step of the way.”
“Back the Blue”
The Justice Department’s dismissal of police reform is another injustice brought forth by the Trump administration. This is not backing the blue, as they call it. Instead, it gives officers too much power and ignores people’s rights. Individuals should not fear the police when they call for help or are stopped for speeding. Reform is necessary, and it should not be taken as an insult.
