Louisville police accused of depriving people of rights under U.S. laws: DOJ report

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report on Wednesday, accusing the police department of Louisville, Kentucky, of depriving people of their rights under certain laws.

The report alleged that the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) "engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law."

The DOJ said the LMPD uses excessive force; conducts searches based on invalid warrants; unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing; and unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities, etc.

The Louisville Metro and the LMPD are also said to have discriminated against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.

LMPD officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, in her own home while executing a search warrant on the night of March 13, 2020, but there was no evidence of any crime.

Thousands of people marched in protest and gathered in downtown Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, for months that year.