A Kentucky newspaper has sued the state's largest city seeking access to police records cited in a federal investigation.
The Courier-Journal reported Monday that it filed a lawsuit against the Louisville metro government after city police failed to respond to search warrant applications cited in the Justice Department report.
Kentucky's open records law gives agencies five business days to respond to such requests, but the newspaper said the agency filed the request four months ago.
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The city's only response was a Sept. 6 message from the city's records executive who said they were checking with the police department but did not know when the records would be available.
“LMPD's refusal to respond to this request should be seen for what it is. Simply ignoring a request that would cast an unfair light on the department protects officers from unwanted public scrutiny.” “However, these warrant applications belong to the public's records, and the public has a right to see them,” attorneys representing the Courier-Journal wrote in the lawsuit. writing.
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, is being sued by a major local newspaper over its handling of police records requests.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Monday that he has “directed immediate steps to be taken to respond to these requests in a timely manner” regarding the city's police department and records compliance.
“This is unacceptable and inconsistent with the commitment to transparency that has been a priority of my administration,” he said in a statement.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that an investigation found Louisville police violated constitutional rights and discriminated against the Black community. Among the findings: Rather than following a court rotation schedule, police hand-picked the judges who review warrant applications, meaning only a small number of judges approved the majority of warrants.
“The Justice Department's report found that the warrant process was deeply flawed, leading to abuses of constitutional rights, and that the public has a right to know all those involved in the pattern and practice. Yes,” said Michael Abate of Louisville. First Amendment attorney representing Courier-Journal in lawsuit.
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The investigation was sparked by the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor.
