US Attorney General Merrick Garland (Reuters)

US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated on Wednesday that the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro government participated in a pattern of illegal activity, including the excessive use of force and discrimination against Black people.

"The Justice Department has concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that Louisville Metro and LMPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the constitutional rights of the residents of Louisville," said Garland.

He further detailed that these practices and conducts include, and are not limited to, "using excessive force, unlawfully discriminating against Black people, conducting searches based on invalid warrants, and violating the rights of those engaged in protected speech critical of policing."

Such practices, according to Garland, deteriorate the community's trust in the police, which is essential to maintain effective policing.

In order to negotiate a consent decree and carry out significant reforms to safeguard the security and civil rights of citizens, the US Justice Department will closely collaborate with Louisville leaders and the LMPD, Garland added.

Garland noted that the city and the federal investigators achieved an agreement in principle to resolve the constitutional infractions.

Following the LMPD police raid which resulted in Breonna Taylor's death in March 2020, an inquiry was launched in April 2021.

Taylor was shot dead in her Louisville apartment and later became an icon for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The police used a contentious "no-knock" warrant to access the flat, authorizing them to break down the door without warning.