(The Center Square) – Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and state Attorney General Liz Murrill say a U.S. Department of Justice report that slams the Louisiana State Police’s use of force is “old news.”
The report, which analyzed the state police’s use of force from 2018 to 2023, says the state police “engages in a statewide pattern or practice of using excessive force that violates the Fourth Amendment.”
The report did credit the agency for making much-needed reforms on its use of force practices, which included creating a a Force Investigation Unit to investigate serious use of force incidents. It said more reforms were necessary to “remedy the unlawful conduct” found by the Department of Justice.
The investigation was launched after the death of Ronald Greene. He was in the hands of Louisiana State Police near Monroe on May 10, 2019.
According to the report, the troopers repeatedly tased him, punched him, and left him lying facedown on the side of the road. According to the report, the troopers didn’t render assistance and later tried to cover up the incident by writing a report that attributed Greene’s death to an automobile collision.
It took 15 months for the state police to open an internal affairs investigation, which resulted in one trooper involved in the incident being fired in September 2020. Another trooper was fired in 2021, and a third got a suspension also in 2021.
After his inauguration last year, Landry launched an investigation in concert with Murrill with the assistance of outside counsel, a review that the two Republicans say has been ongoing all year.
“This report, conducted under the previous administration, seeks to diminish the service and exceptionality of LSP,” Landry said in a release. “We will not let that happen. The reputation of our men and women in blue is one of respect, admiration, and appreciation, and we will always have their back.”
Murrill said in a statement that the report follows months of inactivity and no engagement with state officials. She also accused the Justice Department of using the agency to advance a political agenda.
The report details a history of excessive use of force on nonresisting suspects, often for misdemeanor violations such as speeding. The Justice Department said troopers used force on those were restrained and who were otherwise not a flight risk.
The report also said troopers were prone to using force not to protect themselves or others or prevent escape, but for suspects who didn’t immediately follow a trooper’s commands.
The report said the agency’s use of tasers was concerning and that troopers used excessive force “to immediately control encounters, often within the first few moments of encountering a person and without giving the person a warning or an opportunity to comply.”
