The Department of Justice announced it is dropping lawsuits against police, which were first launched under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
On May 21, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division began dismissing lawsuits against the police departments of Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, per a press release. Under Biden, the DOJ entered into “consent decrees”—court-imposed settlement agreements—with both departments to overhaul their policing practices.
“Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon in the release.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will “take all necessary steps” to close investigations into the departments, retract the Biden administration’s findings of constitutional violations, and dismiss the cases “with prejudice”—meaning they will be permanently closed.
The suits were filed “last minute by the Biden administration after President Donald Trump’s reelection” and “accused Louisville and Minneapolis of widespread patterns of unconstitutional policing practices,” according to the DOJ. They accused the departments of “unconstitutional policing,” allegedly by “wrongly equating statistical disparities with intentional discrimination.
This led to consent decrees that, according to the DOJ, “went far beyond the Biden administration’s accusations of unconstitutional conduct. ” The decrees for Louisville and Minneapolis set forth lists of specific requirements for monitoring and compliance.
“Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda,” Dhillon said in the release.
The Dallas Express contacted the DOJ, but a representative declined to comment. “We have no comment here and refer you to what has been put out already,” said Pierson Furnish in an email.
Dallas Police Officer Jonathan Maner told The Dallas Express that the department had not been sued or investigated by the DOJ in recent history. He said officers are committed to high standards of service, pointing to the department’s Constitutional Policing Unit.
“The Dallas Police Department remains committed to upholding the highest standards of policing,” Maner said in an email. “The Department remains dedicated to ongoing, rigorous self-assessment and correction.”
Robbie Hoy, public information officer for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, emailed The Dallas Express to say their office “has not been sued or investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice in recent years.”
The Dallas Express also contacted the Fort Worth Police Department and Dallas County Sheriff’s Office but did not hear back in time for publication.
Investigating Police Across the Nation
The DOJ Civil Rights Division is also closing investigations into and “retracting the Biden administration’s findings of constitutional violations” of the Louisiana State Police and the Memphis, Tennessee, Mount Vernon, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Arizona, and Trenton, New Jersey police departments.
Louisiana State Police Lt. Jared Sandifer told The Dallas Express that his agency is focused on public safety “in all corners of the state.”
“The Louisiana State Police continues to work diligently on improving our relationship with our communities, law enforcement partners, political leaders, and agency personnel,” Sandifer said in an email. “We are committed to providing the residents of our state with the most professional law enforcement agency in the country.”
Oklahoma City Police Master Sgt. Gary Knight emailed a statement to The Dallas Express stating that the department was notified the DOJ would “close its investigation into the department’s response to individuals with behavioral health disabilities.” He said the department had already begun improving its mental health response before the DOJ launched its investigation in 2022.
“The proactive efforts reflect the department’s ongoing commitment to better serving individuals experiencing behavioral health crises,” Knight added. “The Oklahoma City Police Department will remain dedicated to providing effective support to individuals in crisis and collaborating closely with community members and internal partners to ensure those requiring assistance receive the appropriate response and care.”
Donna Rossi, the Phoenix Police Department’s director of communications, emailed The Dallas Express to say the city’s improvement efforts “are ongoing and will not be altered” by the DOJ’s recent announcement. The city council and police officials have been revamping public safety measures since September 2024.
“Throughout the course of the Department of Justice investigation, the Mayor, City Council, City Manager’s Office and the Police Chief have tirelessly focused on enhancing policy, training and accountability measures,” her statement continues. “Significant progress is already underway and will continue as we fulfill our responsibility to serve and protect the community while building trust through transparent, effective, and constitutional law enforcement practices.”
The Dallas Express also contacted the Memphis, Mount Vernon, and Trenton police departments but did not hear back in time for publication.
DOJ officials are “confident” most police across America will enforce the law and protect the public, according to the release. “When bad actors in uniform fail to do so, the Department stands ready to take all necessary action to address any resulting constitutional or civil-rights violations, including via criminal prosecution.”