Washington, D.C. – The Trump administration has announced the termination of efforts to secure federal agreements for oversight of police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, despite prior government findings of systemic civil rights violations against Black individuals. This decision marks a significant rollback of federal civil rights investigations.
The Justice Department also revealed it is ending investigations and rescinding findings of misconduct against six other police departments, characterizing these probes, many initiated following the 2020 racial justice protests, as federal overreach.
“Federal micro-management of local police should be a rare exception, and not the norm,” stated Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the department’s Civil Rights Division, to reporters. She emphasized that local communities, rather than “unelected bureaucrats,” should control their police departments. Dhillon indicated her office will seek to dismiss pending litigation against Minneapolis and Louisville and retract prior findings of constitutional violations.
The announcement comes just days before the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, a Black man killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Floyd’s killing, along with Breonna Taylor’s death at the hands of Louisville police, ignited global protests against racially motivated policing during the final year of Donald Trump’s first term.
Mayors from both Minneapolis and Louisville have pledged to continue implementing reforms outlined in the federal agreements, despite the Justice Department’s action. Minneapolis has opposed the Trump administration’s move in court, arguing it will hinder the city’s progress.
“Neither Trump nor anyone in Washington can stop us from doing this work that we are indeed committed to,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Dhillon also announced the closure of investigations and retraction of findings against police departments in Phoenix, Arizona; Memphis, Tennessee; Trenton, New Jersey; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Louisiana State Police.
Minneapolis and Louisville were the only two cities to agree to court-approved settlements, known as consent decrees, with the Justice Department under President Joe Biden’s administration. Dhillon stated that the DOJ is reviewing all federal consent decrees, many from the Obama era, to determine their continuation.
These actions represent a significant reversal of police oversight efforts pursued during the Biden administration and a reduction in the department’s role in monitoring troubled police departments.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represented the Floyd and Taylor families, criticized the decision, stating, “The DOJ is not just rolling back reform, it is attempting to erase truth and contradicting the very principles for which justice stands.”
Local Responses and Continued Reform Efforts
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced the city will hire an independent monitor to assess police department progress, allocating $750,000 in the city’s budget. “The goals for reform and the objectives for improvement are exactly the same as they were,” Greenberg stated. “It will just be a different process.”
Minneapolis has also entered a separate settlement with the state of Minnesota to reform its police practices. This agreement, which includes many but not all of the federal reforms, will remain in effect. Mayor Frey indicated that the same monitor overseeing the state agreement will ensure the city implements the Justice Department’s desired reforms.
Both reform agreements mandated significant changes to police training, use-of-force policies, and internal discipline.
Background and Policy Shift
Congress authorized the Justice Department to conduct civil investigations into police misconduct in 1994, following the Rodney King beating. During the Biden administration, the Civil Rights Division launched 12 “pattern or practice” investigations but failed to secure any court-binding consent decrees, raising concerns about the long-term viability of these efforts.
The Trump administration has shifted the Civil Rights Division’s focus away from protecting vulnerable populations and toward conservative causes. Dhillon reported that the division has lost over 200 attorneys since Trump’s return to power in January.
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