RESOLUTION NO. _____, SERIES 2020
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A RESOLUTION URGING THE ADOPTION OF POLICIES TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY INTO, AND EXPEDITE CLOSURE OF, POLICE INVESTIGATIONS.
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SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DAVID JAMES
AND COUNCIL MEMBER JESSICA GREEN
WHEREAS, Louisville strives to be a transparent and compassionate city; and
WHEREAS, Louisville Metro law enforcement is tasked with protecting all Louisville residents; and
WHEREAS, either on receipt of a complaint or on its own volition, Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) undertakes investigations into officer conduct for actions that may constitute a policy violation, a criminal violation, or both; and
WHEREAS, LMPD investigates allegations of policy violations through its Professional Standards Unit (PSU), and to possible criminal violations through its Professional Investigation Unit (PIU); and
WHEREAS, upon completion of a PIU investigation, the decision whether to file criminal charges rests with state and local prosecutors, and upon completion of a PSU investigation the decision whether to pursue administrative discipline rests with the LMPD Chief of Police; and
WHEREAS, because of court rulings regarding an officer's constitutional rights, the current practice at LMPD is to complete and close a PIU criminal investigation before commencing a PSU policy investigation arising from the same events; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of both an officer under investigation and the public to have any questions surrounding an officer's conduct resolved as expeditiously as possible; and
WHEREAS, the Kentucky Open Records Act provides for public agencies to exempt from disclosure public records, when their premature release might jeopardize the integrity of criminal or administrative investigations; and
WHEREAS, many of these records might otherwise be available to the public immediately upon request; and
WHEREAS, Metro Council is concerned w...
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