Some fear excessive use of force will rise as the DOJ drops oversight of police departments
Source: NBC News
May 25, 2025, 7:00 AM EDT
The killing of George Floyd five years ago by a Minneapolis police officer ignited what many reform advocates hoped would be a national effort to end, or at least curb, excessive use of force. But the Trump administration’s decision this week to dismiss lawsuits and drop accountability agreements with several police departments could undo some of that momentum, proponents of federal oversight say.
“Having a blueprint for reform is one thing, but ensuring objective oversight is a whole other thing,” said Michael Gennaco, a former federal prosecutor who has overseen use-of-force cases.
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it would drop proposed consent decrees with Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, and end investigations into police departments in Phoenix; Trenton, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City; and the Louisiana State Police.
The Minneapolis consent decree, a court-enforced improvement plan that follows a civil rights abuse investigation, was reached after the 2020 death of Floyd. Floyd was unarmed when police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes while he was handcuffed on the ground. The Louisville agreement was reached after the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police officers while sitting unarmed in her Kentucky home.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fear-excessive-use-force-will-rise-doj-drops-oversight-police-departme-rcna208350
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