Jan 19, 2025 Story by: Editor
The Louisiana State Police have engaged in a long-standing pattern of excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits, posing a “serious risk of harm” to the public, according to a damning report released Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department.
The report stems from a broad civil rights investigation launched in 2022 following an Associated Press (AP) exposé. It highlights the troubling use of stun guns by troopers, often against individuals who are restrained or do not pose a threat or flight risk. The investigation also uncovered “systemic failures in supervision” and “chronic underreporting of force.”
“We also found that troopers use 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,” the report stated. “Additionally, LSP uses excessive force on people who run from troopers, even when that person is only suspected of a misdemeanor.”
The Case of Ronald Greene
The findings came just two days after federal prosecutors decided against filing charges in the 2019 death of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist. Greene was stunned, punched, and dragged by white state troopers during a roadside arrest following a high-speed chase near Monroe, Louisiana. His death has drawn national attention.
Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, criticized the report, calling it an effort “to diminish the service and exceptionality of LSP.”
“We will not let that 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 have their back.”
Meanwhile, Col. Robert Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, defended the agency in an internal email obtained by the AP, describing the incidents highlighted in the report as “isolated” and asserting they do not reflect the current culture or history of the department.
Patterns of Misconduct
The Justice Department’s inquiry, labeled as a “pattern-or-practice” investigation, followed reports from the AP that Greene’s arrest was one of at least a dozen incidents where evidence of beatings was ignored or concealed by state troopers and their superiors. In one particularly egregious case, a white trooper struck a Black man 18 times with a flashlight during a traffic stop, leaving the victim with severe injuries, including a broken jaw and ribs.
The AP had previously published body-camera footage from Greene’s fatal arrest in 2021, after the state police withheld it for two years. The footage revealed troopers swarming Greene as he raised his hands, pleaded for mercy, and cried out, “I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!” Troopers used stun guns on him before he could exit the car, wrestled him to the ground, applied a chokehold, and struck him in the face. One trooper was heard using profanity.
Broader Implications and Reforms
The 32-page report described Greene’s death as indicative of “serious failures” that 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.”
In another incident cited in the report, a trooper forcefully slammed a bar patron to the ground for failing to provide ID promptly, causing the individual to sustain a nose injury. “Rather than explaining the reason for the request or trying to persuade the man to cooperate,” the report noted, “the trooper immediately grabbed the man’s arm and forced him to the ground.”
Although the investigation also examined whether racially discriminatory policing contributed to these issues, it did not reach any conclusions “at this time.”
The report recommended a series of reforms to address the misconduct while acknowledging progress made by the agency after the release of the video of Greene’s death. “More reforms are needed to remedy the unlawful conduct we found,” the report concluded. Source: CNN
