Booker Statement on Trump’s Efforts to Undermine Police Accountability

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division announced it is dismissing Biden-era police investigations and proposed consent decrees in Louisville, Minneapolis, and the closing of investigations and retraction of findings in Phoenix, Trenton, Memphis, Mount Vernon, Oklahoma City, and Louisiana:

"Today, Donald Trump's Justice Department dismissed the civil rights cases against the Minneapolis, Louisville, and six other police departments without explanation or justification. In these cases, impartial investigators and people who work within these departments systematically reviewed evidence and documents and concluded that these law enforcement agencies had a pattern and practice of violating the constitutional and civil rights of the very people they swore to protect and serve.

"Today's decision to dismiss these charges without justification or evidence that changes have been implemented should be deeply concerning to all of us who prioritize public safety. Public safety is incumbent upon trust between police and the people they protect, and rolling back accountability mechanisms not only undermines this trust but also makes our communities less safe.

"All of us who prioritize public safety must remain committed to measures that increase transparency, accountability, and professional excellence in our law enforcement agencies."