According to the 90-page behemoth, the Louisville Metro Police Department regularly violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the American Disabilities Act, and the federal Safe Streets Act.
The pattern of violations has overwhelmingly and disproportionately affected Black residents, a revelation that probably comes as no surprise to those who have borne the brunt of the abuse or to anyone else paying attention.
Garland went on to describe a specialized group of patrol officers first known as the VIPER Unit that turned out to be just as villainous as it sounds. Targeting Black neighborhoods, the officers regularly pulled drivers over for minor offenses as a pretext to fish around for unrelated crimes. State and federal courts have found that the practice of pretextual traffic stops violates the Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure.
The unit was “rebranded, but never disbanded,” part of another disturbing pattern cited by the DOJ—leadership’s chronic failure to address misconduct of which they were fully aware.
While devoting time to harassing Black residents and other vulnerable community members with minor traffic citations, the department neglected to focus on more pressing investigations. In particular, they let domestic violence and sexual assault cases slide, the DOJ’s investigation found.
Maybe they were too busy showing an appalling lack of respect for residents they swore an oath to protect. Some officers videotaped themselves throwing drinks at random pedestrians, hurling insults at mentally disabled people, and calling Black people racist slurs—behavior that would get someone fired from just about any other profession.
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