Attorney General Merrick Garland has announced a Department of Justice investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department over the death of Breonna Taylor, whom police shot and killed during a raid at her home in March of 2020.
This is the second “pattern or practice” investigation announced by the department in the last five days, with this one announced Monday morning and a closer look into Minneapolis police revealed last week.
The sweeping review of the Louisville PD will examine whether there is a “pattern or practice” of unlawful or unconstitutional policing within the department. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department took part in over two dozen similar investigations, while the Trump administration only handled one “pattern or practice” investigation into a small town in Massachusetts.
“Today’s announcement is based on an extensive review of publicly available information about LMPD conducted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division,” Garland said.
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was killed after three plainclothes police entered through the door of her home while serving a no-knock warrant. Only one of the officers has faced criminal charges.
Charges against Taylor’s then-boyfriend Kenneth Walker, for allegedly shooting and wounding a police officer, have since been permanently dropped after a March ruling.
