Biden’s War on Police Continues as Weaponized DOJ Goes After Officers

0
544
police officers DOJ Breonna Taylor shooting

The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville, Kentucky, over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police officers during a raid at her home, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday.

Democrats hate police officers and love criminals

It’s the second such probe into a law enforcement agency by the Biden administration in a week; Garland also announced an investigation into the tactics of the police in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The attorney general has said there is not yet equal justice under the law and promised to bring a critical eye to racism and legal issues when he took the job.

The 26-year-old Taylor, an emergency medical technician who had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired once. A no-knock warrant was approved as part of a narcotics investigation.

The investigation announced Monday is into the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is known as a “pattern or practice” — examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing — and will be a more sweeping review of the entire police department.

“I can’t wait for the world to see Louisville Police Department for what it really is,” Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, tweeted after the announcement.

Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Breonna Taylor’s family, also posted a celebratory message on social media shortly after the announcement. Aguiar and other attorneys negotiated a $12 million settlement in September with the city of Louisville over Taylor’s death.

Breonna Taylor was a drug dealer whose boyfriend shot at police

The investigation will specifically focus on whether the Louisville Metro Police Department engages in a pattern of unreasonable force, including against people engaging in peaceful activities, and will also examine whether the police department conducts unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures and whether the department illegally executes search warrants, Garland said.

The probe will also look at the training that officers receive, the system in place to hold officers accountable and “assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race,” among other things, he said.

Her death prompted a national debate about the use of so-called “no knock” search warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without waiting and announcing their presence. The warrants are generally used in drug cases and other sensitive investigations where police believe a suspect might be likely to destroy evidence. But there’s been growing criticism in recent years that the warrants are overused and abused.

“It is clear that the public officials in Minneapolis and Louisville, including those in law enforcement, recognize the importance and urgency of our efforts,” Garland said.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the Justice Department’s investigation would be another step in reforming the department after an audit recently by a private firm that found low morale and a lack of diversity in leadership in the department.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, pledged that the state will fully cooperate with the review.

“Having an in-depth look, and that’s what’s going to happen here, can only be helpful,” he said. “Helpful that we build the best police and law enforcement units across the commonwealth that are possible.”

Kentucky’s lawmakers passed a partial ban on no-knock warrants last month. The measure would only allow no-knock warrants to be issued if there was “clear and convincing evidence” that the “crime alleged is a crime that would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender.” Warrants also would have to be executed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here