For years, Louisiana State Police have used excessive force during arrests and vehicle chases, a statewide reprehensible practice that puts the public at “serious risk of harm,” according to a scathing report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
A vast investigation into civil rights, announced in 2022 following a Associated Press investigationfound that troopers’ use of stun guns was “particularly concerning” and that troopers used force against people who “did not pose a threat or flight risk,” often because they were restrained. He cited “systemic failures in supervision” and a “chronic undervaluation of the use of force.”
“We also found that troopers use excessive force to immediately control encounters, often within the first moments of encountering a person and without giving the person warning or an opportunity to comply,” the report said. “Additionally, the LSP uses excessive force against people fleeing troopers, even when that person is only suspected of a crime.”
The findings were released two days after federal prosecutors said they would not bring charges in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene, ending a long investigation into white state troopers who stunned, punched and dragged Greene to the side of a road following a high-speed chase outside Monroe, Louisiana.
Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, blasted the report, calling it an attempt “to diminish the service and exceptional character of the LSP.”
“We will not let this happen,” Landry said in a statement. “The reputation of our men and women in blue is one of respect, admiration and appreciation, and we will always support them. »
Col. Robert Hodges, the state police commissioner, told officers in an internal email obtained by AP that the “isolated incidents” highlighted in the report “are not a fair assessment of the state police.” of today’s Louisiana or the incredibly proud history and culture of our agency.”
The “pattern or practice” investigation followed an AP report that Greene’s arrest was one of at least a dozen cases in which state troopers and their bosses ignored or covered up evidence of beatings, deflected blame, and hindered efforts to eliminate misconduct within the agency. In one case, a white trooper struck a black man 18 times with a flashlight after a traffic stop, leaving him with a broken jaw, broken ribs and a gash on his head.
State police hid body camera footage of Greene’s death for two years, but the AP released it in 2021. The video showed troopers swarming Greene even as he appeared to raise his hands, begging for mercy and moan: “I am your brother. ! I’m scared! I’m scared!” The officers shook Greene several times with stun guns before he could even get out of the car, with one of them tackling him to the ground, choking him and hitting him in the face. Another called him rude.
THE 32 page report alleges that Greene’s death “demonstrated serious failures” that “were not isolated but part of a broader pattern or practice of law enforcement conduct that deprives Louisiana residents of their rights under the Constitution.”
The report cites one case in which a police officer “threw a bar patron to the ground” simply because he did not provide his identification quickly enough. “Rather than explain the reason for this request or try to persuade the man to cooperate,” the report states, “the officer immediately grabbed the man’s arm and forced him to the ground, hurting his nose.”
The Justice Department also examined whether state police engaged in “racially discriminatory policing” but made no conclusions “at this time” about whether it contributed to the misconduct.
The report recommends — but does not require — a long list of corrective actions, while also crediting the agency for making “much-needed reforms after the video of Mr. Greene’s death became public “.
“More reforms are needed to address the illegal behavior we found,” the report said.
