Louisville community leaders are urging Metro Council to turn the city’s community commitment into law, saying a formal ordinance is needed to ensure long-term accountability within the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Background
The push comes after Louisville’s federal consent decree was dismissed last year. That decree followed a U.S. Department of Justice report that found LMPD had repeatedly violated people’s civil rights, including in connection with the death of Breonna Taylor.
After the Justice Department announced in May that it was ending ongoing police reform agreements, Mayor Craig Greenberg introduced what he called a “community commitment consent decree,” aimed at keeping the same goals and standards in place locally.
Support for the Ordinance
Organizations including the ACLU of Kentucky and the Louisville Urban League want those commitments to be passed as an ordinance by Metro Council. “I think it’s needed to make sure our police are acting constitutional, are transparent and accountable,” said Kungu Njuguk with the ACLU.
Supporters say making the policy an ordinance would prevent future administrations from walking away from the reforms. “We want it to have teeth,” said Felicia Nu’Man, Louisville Urban League, “So what we wanted to do is make it into ordinance. So future mayors have to follow, future chiefs of police have to follow.”
Need for Reform
Advocates argue the need for reform remains urgent. In March, LMPD officers shot and killed Katelyn Hall during a mental health crisis, renewing concerns about how police respond to behavioral health emergencies.
Njuguk said that issue was a major focus of both the DOJ agreement and the city’s community commitment. “One of the things that’s addressed in there is how LMPD responds to individuals with behavioral health issues,” said Njuguk, “There are specific reforms that we would like to see the city do, obviously in light of some of the deaths that we’ve seen.”
Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.
