By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The fatal 2019 arrest of unarmed Black motorist Ronald Greene and its aftermath demonstrated serious failures at Louisiana State Police like the use of excessive force and breakdowns in accountability, the U.S. Justice Department said in a report dated Thursday.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Greene, 49, died in May 2019 on a roadside in rural northern Louisiana after a violent confrontation with officers that followed a high-speed car chase. His death further fueled a national debate over police brutality, especially against Black men.
Officials initially said Greene had died driving his car but body-camera footage that was eventually made public revealed the white officers dragging and beating Greene who was screaming in fear.
KEY QUOTES
“Mr. Greene’s death and its aftermath demonstrated serious failures at LSP — excessive force, improper supervision, ineffective training, and breakdowns in accountability,” the Justice Department said.
“These failures were not isolated, but part of a larger pattern or practice of law enforcement conduct that deprives people in Louisiana of their rights under the Constitution,” the 32-page report added.
The report said the Justice Department “has reasonable cause to believe that the Louisiana State Police engage in a statewide pattern or practice of using excessive force.”
Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry criticized the report saying it attempted to “diminish the service and exceptionality of LSP.”
Robert Hodges, the state police superintendent, said in an internal email reported by the Associated Press that the report highlighted “isolated incidents” that were “not a fair assessment” of the police.
CONTEXT
The Justice Department report did not say whether it would take any action.
The report said the Justice Department looked into whether the police engaged in racial discrimination but at this time it made findings only as to excessive force.
Greene’s family said on Tuesday they were told federal prosecutors would not bring charges in his death.
The Justice Department report acknowledged that police had made some reforms after Greene’s death that led to improvements but urged more reforms like improved training, particularly on use of force to lay emphasis on less intrusive alternatives before employing force.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Diane Craft and Kim Coghill)
