LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Breonna Taylor's family and attorneys made it clear Tuesday afternoon that a settlement could not have been reached unless it also had the changes of policy and police reforms as part of the agreement.
"We must have transparency and accountability for the work that our officers do," Mayor Greg Fischer said during the announcement.
"We are fighting for a completely different vision of being in community together. We are creating something different," Keturah Herron, with the ACLU of Kentucky, said.
"We thought forth as we went through negotiating the terms of the settlement, and the reform to engage police officers within the community not just when they're dispatched to runs. But to get out to volunteer in those communities in which they serve, to get to know their communities and other settings, to live within their communities," Lonita Baker, one of Taylor's family attorneys, said.
Here's the reforms outlined in the settlement:
Community Related Police Programs
- Housing Credit Program: Metro will establish a housing credit program to incentivize officers to live within a Qualified Census Tract[1] as their primary residence. Metro will review programs established in Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, and DC as models for one in Louisville. The initiative will provide officers with a pathway to home ownership and improve community connections.
- Retain Social Workers: Metro commits to retaining social workers at LMPD for officer support and assistance on dispatched runs warranting a social worker’s presence. Metro is researching best practices and social worker qualifications to create an effective program. Metro plans to initially fund this new program through forfeiture funds by contracting for the services of social workers.
- Community Volunteering: Metro will encourage LMPD officers to volunteer 2 hours a pay period, during their regular work shift, at an organization in the community they serve.
Search Warrant Reforms
- LMPD has amended its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 8.1 on search warrants to require a commanding officer to review and approve all search warrants, affidavits in support of search warrants, and risk matrixes before an officer seeks judicial approval for a search warrant. SOP 8.1 has been updated concerning the simultaneous execution of search warrants at multiple locations. The commanding officer of the unit initiating the warrants will act as the overall Incident Commander with a separate on-scene Commanding Officer at each warrant location who will serve as the Deputy Incident Commander for that location. SOP 8.1 has been updated to require the presence of EMS units and/or paramedics for forced entry search warrants.
Police Accountability Reforms
- Currency Seizures: LMPD has modified SOP 11.3 with additional protocols for money seized as evidence. The additional policy expressly states that officers must have their body cameras activated for the entire seizure process, which includes counting, placing and sealing the currency into the currency evidence bag before its transport to the property room.
- IAPro: Metro will implement the early warning system of IAPro that tracks all use of force incidents, citizen complaints, investigations, and other key factors. Metro is committed to identifying any police officer in need of additional assistance or training. The reactivation of this system will require additional personnel to monitor and administer the program. As part of its top-to-bottom review, Hillard Heintze will evaluate criteria of the early warning system and recommend any needed improvements. Metro plans for the early warning system to be also monitored through the Office of Inspector General once this office is established.
- Drug testing: All officers are subject to random testing. Metro agrees to include in 2021 negotiations with the FOP an expansion of the random drug testing to ensure all officers are randomly tested at least once a year.
- Personnel files: Metro will negotiate with the FOP in 2021 to expand on the records it may maintain in police officers’ personnel files.
- PSU Investigations: Metro has updated its PSU investigation process regarding cases when a police officer separates from LMPD before the completion of his or her investigation. The police officer’s personnel file will include a PSU closing letter that states the Chief’s findings based on the evidence that exists in the file at the time of the separation from LMPD, if sufficient evidence exists in the record to make such a determination or that insufficient evidence exists to make a finding. If the nature of the complaint is significant enough to have reasonably resulted in the suspension of a police officer, the PSU investigation will continue gathering evidence to evaluate if additional officers or problems exist that require the PSU investigation continue.
RELATED VIDEO
►Contact reporter Tyler Emery at temery@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@TylerWHAS11) and Facebook.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.