The U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday that it is moving to drop police reform agreements, known as consent decrees, that the Biden-era department reached with the cities of Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis. The court-enforceable agreements were born out of probes launched after the 2020 police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
The agreements with Minneapolis and Louisville, which were intended to address allegations of systemic unconstitutional policing and civil rights violations, were both held up in federal court and have faced several delays, with the DOJ requesting various extensions to file documents requested by the federal judges in each case.
Amid the delays, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told ABC News in a February interview that while the Trump administration could intervene in the process, since the agreements have already been filed in federal court, whether they are ultimately approved is not up to the White House, but “ultimately in the federal judge’s hands.”
Minneapolis Police car in Minneapolis, Mn.
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Officials in Minneapolis and Louisville told ABC News in February that the cities are still committed to the reforms outlined in the agreements and plan to implement changes with or without the support of the Trump administration.
The consent decrees each lay out a roadmap for police reform to rectify civil rights violations that the DOJ uncovered and, if approved by a federal judge, the court will appoint an independent monitor to oversee the implementation of the reforms and actions outlined in the agreement.
Kevin Trager, a spokesman for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, told ABC News in February that the city and police are committed to the reforms agreed upon in the consent decree, “regardless of what happens in federal court.”
“Louisville Metro Government and LMPD will move forward and honor our commitment to meaningful improvements and reforms,” Trager said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ABC News in Febaruary that the city had “not heard directly” from the Trump administration regarding the consent decree, but the city plans to move forward with the terms of the agreement “with or without support from the White House.”
“It’s unfortunate the Trump administration may not be interested in cooperating with us to improve policing and support our community, but make no mistake: we have the tools, the resolve, and the community’s backing to fulfill our promise to the people of Minneapolis. Our work will not be stopped,” Frey said.
Following the new announcement from the DOJ on Wednesday, ABC News reached out to officials in Minneapolis and Louisville for additional comment.
A Louisville Metro Police Department patrol car, April 10, 2023.
Tessa Duvall/Lexington Herald-Leader via Getty Images
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is also planning to close its investigations into police departments in Phoenix; Trenton, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City; and the Louisiana State Police, according to the announcement.
Additionally, the department said it will be “retracting” findings released during the Biden administration against departments alleged to have engaged in widespread misconduct against citizens.
“Overboard police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement announcing the moves. “Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
This is a developing story. Please come back for updates.
