Editorial: Louisville must establish a transparent and accountable police culture in LMPD

The Courier Journal Editorial Board
·2 min read
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The Department of Justice investigation of the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville Metro Government makes it abundantly clear that the inadequacies of LMPD touch every corner of their operations. To look at police chief turnover in recent years, it might be easy to say this is a leadership issue, but this is not a police chief issue. This is a Louisville issue that has spanned the tenure of every LMPD chief in recent years.

Residents cannot continue to worry about criminal behavior while also worrying about what’s going to happen if they call for help. Louisville deserves a public safety infrastructure that makes people feel safe, protected and cared for.

The city must work together with the community to identify the public safety objectives that aligns with Louisville's values. Yes, work with the DOJ to establish a consent decree and address misconduct. But also do right by what our community says they want. They want a police force that takes the time to get to know the community members they serve. They want officers who spend time building relationships with the people in neighborhoods they patrol. They want policy that reinforces integrity and they want transparency.

More:DOJ's report into Louisville police: How people are responding on social media


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Louisville deserves transparency

An overwhelming theme in the DOJ report was the tendency for police officers to overreact at the scene, using punitive force. The DOJ wrote, “LMPD officers’ tendency to ratchet up tensions and escalate situations not only leads to constitutional violations, but it also threatens the safety of everyone involved and undermines community trust.” Establishing trust in police cannot even begin until the public can trust that violations will be exposed. Community members again and again have made the accusations and observations but it took the DOJ parachuting in with a formal report for comprehensive accountable actions to be considered.

Shameka Parrish-Wright, of Vocal Kentucky, responded to the findings of the Department of Justice investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Ky. on Mar. 8, 2023. The report was the result of a nearly two-year probe following the killing of Breonna Taylor.
Shameka Parrish-Wright, of Vocal Kentucky, responded to the findings of the Department of Justice investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Ky. on Mar. 8, 2023. The report was the result of a nearly two-year probe following the killing of Breonna Taylor.

More:Here's what to know about the DOJ investigation into Louisville police

What can be done about bigotry?

LMPD leadership may not be able to change character or the bigoted beliefs of individual officers. But what they can change are the expectations. Leadership can establish clear protocols that demand integrity and require accountability. The path forward to changing police culture lies in a reckoning from within the department via policies, training and implementation with accountability. Zero tolerance.

Mayor Greenberg along with LMPD’s Chief must work in earnest, take the DOJ’s recommendations to heart and in this collaboration establish a consent decree that will build a community-focused police department that Louisville deserves. Like the canine units that were reportedly misused, it is time to release Louisville from LMPD's traumatic bite.

The Courier Journal Editorial Board. Bonnie Jean Feldkamp is the Opinion Editor and can be reached at BFeldkamp@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Editorial: Louisville deserves a transparent, accountable police force