Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke during the Department of Justice's press conference Wednesday afternoon announcing civil rights violations by the Louisville Metro Police Department and city government.U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland led the announcements enumerating what they said were several civil rights violations. You can read about that here. "Our city has wounds that have not yet healed and that is why this report and this moment are so important,” said Greenberg, standing with LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.Watch Greenberg's full remarks below:He said he and the chief "will do everything possible" to heal those wounds.A major part of that will be Louisville's work with the DOJ on implementing 36 remedial improvements made in the report, which you can read in its entirety here.Pledging reform, Greenberg said, "To those people who were harmed, I'm sorry. We can and will do better."Gwinn-Villaroel also pledged to enact reforms in the LMPD.Several community members and protesters were outside for the media-only announcement. Many were those at the forefront of 2020 protests and calling for LMPD reform way before then. Other Kentucky leaders and parties involved spoke out too. U.S. Congressman Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) said, "I fully support the Department of Justice’s consent decree to collaboratively work with Louisville Metro, Louisville Metro Police Department, and the community to begin righting these harmful wrongs. Excessive use of force and racial profiling in the Louisville Metro Police Department will continue to plague our community until we take decisive action to create true, lasting change. We simply cannot afford to wait."Former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer released a statement too. He said, in part, "Today is another important inflection point to honor the pain of 2020 by further acknowledging, and continuing to act on, the fact that our community deserves a new era of public safety. This era requires the leadership of the many good officers who have dedicated their lives to keep us safe and are committed to working in partnership with the community to develop a new form of constitutionally sound policing embraced by all our city’s residents."Today’s findings, paired with those from the independent audit by Hillard Heintze that I initiated in 2020, presents Louisville with an opportunity to be a national leader and a model in building a truly just public safety system," Fischer said. "I believe good police officers will welcome this report as an opportunity to more easily meet the oath they swore to protect and serve our community and improve their daily job performance and profession."Attorney for Breonna Taylor's family, Ben Crump, released the following statement. "The family of Breonna Taylor is encouraged by the findings released today by Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division revealing a pattern of biased policing and a long list of constitutional violations by the Louisville Metro Police Department," he said."These findings, and LMPD’s expected cooperation with the DOJ’s recommended remedial measures, will help protect the citizens of Louisville and shape its culture of policing," said Crump. "It’s steps like these, and involvement of the Attorney General and the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, that will move our nation forward and prevent future tragedies like the one that took the life of Breonna Taylor and the countless others who have been killed unnecessarily by law enforcement."Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron release the following:"My statement regarding the results of DOJ's investigation into Louisville Metro: The vast majority of Kentucky’s law enforcement community protects & serves the Commonwealth with dignity & honor, & I am thankful to these brave men & women who put their lives on the line day in & day out to keep our communities safe. We hope that the U.S. Department of Justice’s work with Louisville Metro and city officials will help address lingering concerns & better allow law enforcement to keep people safe."Gov. Andy Beshear also responded to the reports, saying:"Today's findings by the Department of Justice are concerning. My Hope is that everyone in Louisville will come together and see the findings of this report as an urgent opportunity to take intentional steps for positive, lasting change. I believe the DOJ findings can help achieve the goal of ensuring public safety and protecting everyone's rights." LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke during the Department of Justice's press conference Wednesday afternoon announcing civil rights violations by the Louisville Metro Police Department and city government.U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland led the announcements enumerating what they said were several civil rights violations. You can read about that here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  The U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland made the announcement Wednesday. A Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.”The report said the Police Department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, such as during the street protests in the summer of 2020 after Taylor’s death. Garland said some officers have assaulted people with disabilities and called Black people disparaging names.“This conduct is unacceptable, it is heartbreaking,” Garland said. “It erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing, and it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honor.”The sweeping probe announced in April 2021 is known as a “pattern or practice” investigation — examining whether there is a pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing inside the department. The city will sign a negotiated agreement with the Justice Department and a federal officer will monitor the progress.Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said Wednesday that she remains upset that it took so long to feel some vindication.“It’s heartbreaking to know that everything you’ve been saying from Day One has to be said again,” Palmer said.One of Palmer’s attorneys, Lonita Baker, said she was encouraged by the Justice Department’s findings, but it’s “unfortunate that it took the murder of Breonna Taylor and protest after protest after protest through 2020 to come to this point.”Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city “has wounds that are not yet healed.”“We have to come to terms with where we’ve been, so we can get to where we want to be,” Greenberg said.Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram after midnight on March 13, 2020. Three officers fired shots after Taylor’s boyfriend, fearing an intruder, shot an officer in the leg. Taylor was struck several times and died at the scene.The warrant used to enter her home is now part of a separate federal criminal investigation, and one former Louisville officer has already pleaded guilty to helping falsify information on the warrant. No drugs were found in Taylor’s home. Two more officers are charged in the warrant probe, and a third, Brett Hankison, is charged with endangering Taylor and her neighbors with his shots into her apartment.The Justice Department report said Black motorists were more likely to be searched during traffic stops, and officers used neck restraints, police dogs and Tasers against people who posed no imminent threat. Garland cited incidents in 2018 and 2019 in which two officers threw drinks at pedestrians and recorded the encounters. Both officers pleaded guilty to federal charges.NAACP President and Chief Executive Derrick Johnson applauded the findings but said federal lawmakers have yet to step up and enact wider police reforms.“While Congress continues to fail our country with police reform, at least the Department of Justice is taking their jobs seriously. Today marks a meaningful step toward police accountability and — should Congress now decide to step up — police reform,” Johnson’s statement said.He added that the group lauded Garland and the Justice Department for continuing a “pursuit of justice” and added, “Congress should take a page from their book, do their jobs, and pass the legislation necessary to save innocent lives.”Louisville police have undergone five leadership changes since the Taylor shooting, and Greenberg is interviewing candidates for the next chief. The city has settled a number of lawsuits related to the incident, including a $12-million payment to Taylor’s family that ended a wrongful-death lawsuit.Garland also mentioned some reforms the city has undergone since Taylor’s death, including a city law banning the use of “no-knock” warrants in 2020. The warrants are typically used in surprise drug raids. The city also started a pilot program that aims to send behavioral health professionals to some 911 calls, expanded community violence prevention efforts and sought to support health and wellness for officers, the report said.Also Wednesday, the Justice Department announced it will review the Memphis Police Department’s policies on the use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units in response to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols during an arrest. The 29-year-old motorist died Jan. 10, three days after his violent arrest.

#inform-video-player-1 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; } #inform-video-player-2 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; } LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Wednesday. A Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.”The report said the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, such as the street protests in the city in the summer of 2020 after Taylor’s death. Garland said some officers have assaulted people with disabilities and called Black people disparaging names. “This conduct is unacceptable, it is heartbreaking,” Garland said. “It erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing and it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honor.”The sweeping probe announced in April 2021 is known as a “pattern or practice” investigation – examining whether there is a pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing inside the department. The city will sign a negotiated agreement with the Justice Department and a federal officer will monitor the progress.Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said Wednesday that she remains upset that it took so long to feel some vindication.“It’s heartbreaking to know that everything you’ve been saying from day one has to be said again,” Palmer said.One of Palmer’s attorneys, Lonita Baker, said she was encouraged by the Justice Department’s findings, but it’s “unfortunate that it took the murder of Breonna Taylor and protest after protest after protest through 2020 to come to this point.”Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city “has wounds that are not yet healed.”“We have to come to terms with where we’ve been, so we can get to where we want to be,” Greenberg said. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram after midnight on March 13, 2020. Three officers fired shots after Taylor’s boyfriend, fearing an intruder, shot an officer in the leg.Taylor was struck several times and died at the scene.The warrant used to enter her home is now part of a separate federal criminal investigation, and one former Louisville officer has already pleaded guilty to helping falsify information on the warrant. No drugs were found in Taylor’s home. Two more officers are charged in the warrant probe, and a third, Brett Hankison, is charged with endangering Taylor and her neighbors with his shots into her apartment.The report said Black motorists were more likely to be searched during traffic stops, and officers used neck restraints, police dogs and Tasers against people who posed no imminent threat. Garland cited one incident where two officers threw drinks at pedestrians and recorded the encounters. Those incidents happened in 2018 and 2019. Both officers are facing federal charges.NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson applauded the Justice Department findings but said federal lawmakers have yet to step up and enact wider police reforms.“While Congress continues to fail our country with police reform, at least the Department of Justice is taking their jobs seriously. Today marks a meaningful step toward police accountability and – should Congress now decide to step up – police reform,” Johnson’s statement said.He added that the group lauded Garland and the Department of Justice for continuing a “pursuit of justice” and added, “Congress should take a page from their book, do their jobs, and pass the legislation necessary to save innocent lives.”Louisville police have undergone five leadership changes since the Taylor shooting, and new Mayor Craig Greenberg is interviewing candidates for the next chief. The city has settled a number of lawsuits related to the incident, including a $12 million payment to Taylor’s family that ended a wrongful death lawsuit.Garland also mentioned some reforms the city has undergone since Taylor’s death, including a city law banning the use of “no-knock” warrants in 2020. The warrants are typically used in surprise drug raids. The city also started a pilot program that aims to send behavioral health professionals to some 911 calls, expanded community violence prevention efforts and sought to support health and wellness for officers, the report said.Also Wednesday, the Justice Department announced it will review the Memphis Police Department policies on the use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units in response to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols during an arrest. The 29-year-old motorist died Jan. 10, three days after his violent arrest. #inform-video-player-3 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Wednesday. A Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.” The report said the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, like the street protests in the city in the summer of 2020 after Taylor's death. Garland said some officers have assaulted people with disabilities and called Black people disparaging names.

The US Justice Department has found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. The announcement was made Wednesday by Attorney Merrick Garland. A Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.” The report said Louisville police “discriminate against Black people in its enforcement activities,” use excessive force and conduct searches based on invalid warrants. It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, like the street protests in the city in the summer of 2020. “This conduct is unacceptable, it is heartbreaking,” Garland said. US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that a Justice Department probe found that the Louisville/Jefferson County Police Department had a pattern of violating people’s constitutional rights. AFP via Getty Images The sweeping probe announced in April 2021 is known as a “pattern or practice” investigation — examining whether there is a pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing inside the department. Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram after midnight on March 13, 2020. Three officers fired shots after Taylor’s boyfriend, fearing an intruder, shot an officer in the leg. Taylor was struck several times and died at the scene. The probe was launched following the police killing of Breonna Taylor. AP The warrant used to enter her home is now part of a separate federal criminal investigation, and one former Louisville officer has already pleaded guilty to helping falsify information on the warrant. No drugs were found in Taylor’s home. Louisville police have undergone five leadership changes since the Taylor shooting, and new Mayor Craig Greenberg is interviewing candidates for the next chief. The city has settled a number of lawsuits related to the incident, including a $12 million payment to Taylor’s family that ended a wrongful death lawsuit. Since 2020, the city has banned no-knock warrants, started a program that aims to send behavioral health professionals to some 911 calls, expanded community violence prevention efforts and sought to support health and wellness for officers, the report said.

Tamika Palmer stood in a nurse's uniform behind a podium Wednesday, unsure what to say about a U.S. Department of Justice investigation released almost three years to the day after her daughter, Breonna Taylor, was shot and killed by Louisville police."It's heartbreaking to know that everything you've been saying since Day One has to be said again, through this manner. That it took this to even have somebody look into this department," she said, trailing off.Earlier that day, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the findings of a nearly two-year investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department, spotlighting how the agency violated citizens' constitutional rights by systematically discriminating against Black people and mentally unstable residents.US DOJ's report:Read the violations and recommended reformThe Department of Justice began the investigation in April 2021 in response to Taylor's death.Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by officers serving a "no-knock" search warrant in a drug investigation at her home on March 13, 2020.Lonita Baker, a Louisville attorney representing Taylor's family, said she is encouraged by the DOJ's findings."However, it is unfortunate it took the murder of Breonna Taylor and protest after protest after protest in 2020 to get to this point,” she said.More:What to know about the 7 DOJ findings in Louisville police investigationBaker added the investigation would not have occurred without thousands of people marching in the streets daily for nearly six months.“Louisville Metro has known about these problems for a very long time," she said, "but they chose to do nothing for a very long time because the heat wasn’t there.”Standing alongside Baker and Palmer was Tae-Ahn Lea, a Black Louisville resident whose high-profile traffic stop in 2018 led to some policy reforms and whose story was included in the DOJ report.In September, a federal judge ruled officers had violated his constitutional rights.“I’m glad that the DOJ spoke up and finally said what we’ve been saying for years,” Lea said. “I’d like to see what the future looks like now.”Across town, several key players in the 2020 protests spoke about the investigation at Jefferson Square Park, a central location during the demonstrations which was given the moniker "Injustice Square Park" by those in attendance that summer.Shameka Parrish-Wright, director of VOCAL-KY and an outspoken member of the protests, called the consent decree "a step in the right direction," and said there was some relief for those who had faced consequences during the demonstrations that LMPD would face some accountability.The findings, though, aren't the final step. Khalilah Collins, director of DOVE Delegates (which aims to pursue an alternative model to policing in Louisville), said the answer isn't giving LMPD more money – instead, she pushed for the department and city government to be more transparent moving forward and to give the community a voice during conversations about reform."The findings of the DOJ investigation confirmed the long-ignored outcry of the community," Collins said. "To rectify these violations of our civil rights and our humanity, the community does not just need to be fully represented at every table where decisions regarding reform or accountability are made – they need to lead these conversations."In October 2020, Taylor's family received a $12 million settlement with the city. And Palmer said Wednesday the family is "still going back and forth" with some of the reforms included in the agreement.In regard to the DOJ's recommendations for LMPD, going forward: "It's easy to say it, but until we actually start using those policies and procedures, it will just be repeating itself."Reporter Lucas Aulbach contributed. Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at [email protected], 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.