LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Demoralized police officers, a burdened local budget and higher crime.
It's what former police leaders from other cities say is coming if Louisville isn't careful in its upcoming consent decree negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Jason Johnson, the former deputy commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department (2016-2018), helped negotiate and implement his city's consent decree years ago.
Think of consent decrees as a court-monitored agreement with the DOJ.
Louisville's future under federal watch is inevitable, but Johnson says it's not too late for the city's mayor and his staff to "read the fine print" as they draft the terms of the contract.
"They're requiring the city to pay for the right to be supervised. It's never really been the solution. It's never led to the promised land," Johnson said.
Johnson acknowledged there is pressure on elected officials to "accept a consent decree at almost any cost," but says it's vital Louisville leadership "keep their eyes on the end result" and be careful what they agree to.
"They're expensive, they're time-consuming, and as a result, the community doesn't actually see anything change for many, many years -- if at all," he said. "Community members think that the DOJ is actually coming in and funding this. [But it's] quite the opposite. They're not funding any of it."
Weeks after the DOJ revealed its investigation's findings into Louisville Metro Government and LMPD, Johnson published an op-ed in the Courier Journal where he wrote about his experience. He said these kinds of agreements are often ineffective at fixing root issues in the long term.
Instead, he says the result is losing more officers, hits to the local budget, and years under federal observation with no clear end in sight. Johnson says cities like Baltimore have actually seen violence increase after the fact.
Now, he's warning Louisville leaders to be cautious.
"Really focus on if the concern is excessive force, really focus on that -- focus on things like training and supervision and hiring. It's when we try to do too much at one time that you just cannot get any traction," Johnson said.
Meanwhile, Ernest Freestone, a former New Jersey police sergeant who now lives in Louisville, also shares similar concerns.
"They'll tell you it's going to be rainbows and unicorns, and for a certain point of time it might be, but it's only one of the options that Louisville can go down," Freestone said.
Johnson says police reforms are necessary, but in order to be effective, benchmarks need to be clear and achievable. For perspective, in Louisville's case, there are 36 remedial measures recommended by the DOJ.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell has told us consent decree negotiations could take a year to a year-and-a-half to complete, and won't start until after DOJ officials finish speaking with community members.
Public forums and availabilities are happening through May 18.
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.