Louisiana State Police Chief, Colonel Lamar David stated Friday that a Department of Justice (DOJ) “pattern and practice” inquiry into suspected racial profiling within his unit would be “welcomed,” The Hill reports.
Davis expressed his concerns about the fear that spreads in the community, adding that as a Black man he would not like to pulled over and “thrown across a car” solely based on the color of his skin.
Davis’ remarks came a day after the Associated Press released the findings of internal investigation documents revealing that Louisiana State Police troopers ignored or covered up evidence of police brutality, deflected blame, and interfered with investigations into wrongdoing.
According to the Associated Press, Davis stated that he does not agree that the use of excessive force is pervasive enough within his division to enforce a pattern and practice inquiry by the DOJ, but added that he desires the chance to fix any issues himself before the federal government intervenes.
Earlier this year, the DOJ opened patterns and practices inquiries in three major metropolitan police departments in the United States.
A body camera video obtained by the Associated Press of Ronald Greene’s deadly arrest in 2019 led to a backlash against the Louisiana State Police. When Greene was first found dead, police stated it was due to a vehicle accident, but subsequently revealed he died following a battle with troopers.
According to the Associated Press, an internal inquiry found no fault with Lt. John Clary, top-ranking official who was at the scene at the time of Greene’s death. According to the Associated Press, Clary was suspected of concealing the presence of his own body camera video for at least two years.
According to Col. Davis, his department was unable to tell for certain if Lt. Clary intentionally was hiding the footage.
Be the first to comment