Amna: Good evening and welcome to the newshour.

The U.S. Justice department has issued a damning review of the Louisville, Kentucky police department, in the wake of breonna Taylor's death.

She was shot and killed during a no-knock raid on her apartment, nearly 3 years ago.

Geoff: Findings released today found a pattern of police brutalizing black citizens and routinely violating their rights.

U.S. Attorney general Merrick Garland spoke in Louisville.

>> This conduct is unacceptable.

It is heartbreaking.

It erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing and it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honor.

And it is an affront to the people of Louisville who deserve better.

Amna: Garland announced the city will sign a negotiated consent decree to undertake major reforms.

Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said he strongly supports the effort.

>> And I know that there will people who will look at this report and will be eager to find me way to minimize it or dismiss it.

They'll say it's all politics or that you can find examples like this in any city.

No, this is not about politics or other places.

This is about Louisville.

Geoff: The city has already banned so-called "No-knock" warrants and paid $12 million to breonna Taylor's family to end a wrongful death lawsuit.

Kristen Clarke is the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the justice department, and joins us now from Louisville.

Thank you for being with us.

This announcement is the result of a two year investigation following the shooting of breonna Taylor.

The attorney general said today that a Louisville metro police department official told the investigation open that breonna Taylor was a symptom of problems that we've had for years.

Based on your investigation, why were those problems so persistent?

>> The problems have been persistent because they have gone unaddressed.

Today we issued a 90 page report that lays bare the severe and significant problems with the Louisville metro police department.

We found evidence of use of excessive force, we found warrants that were issued without a legal basis.

We found that warrants were executed without knocking and announcing.

We found discriminatory policing and evidence of practices that disproportionately impact black people in Louisville.

We found unlawful stops, detentions, and arrests.

We also found that people who engage in peaceful demonstrations and protests have their first amendment rights infringed upon, particularly when the subject matter of their protest concerned the police department.

These problems are significant and severe, and our consent decree here will help put the city in the police department on a long overdue path to reform.

Geoff: You mentioned the report.

I want to read an excerpt from it.

It reads this way.

Some officers have videotaped themselves throwing drinks at pedestrian from their cars, insulting people disabilities, they've called like people monkey and animal and boy.

This conduct erodes community trust, and the unlawful practices of LMPD in Louisville metro undermine public safety.

It again raises the question of how and why this kind of behavior was condoned.

The report cites or oversight.

Tell me more about that.

>> Sometimes you find there are policies in place, but no training behind those policies.

Sometimes you find that there is training, but no accountability when policies are broken.

Part of our consent decree will be about putting in place new systems that will help ensure that these kinds of problems never happen again.

I noted a number of issues that we found.

We also found that the police department discriminated against people with behavioral health disabilities.

In particular, problems with the spec to dispatch responses.

So now is a time where we are going to engage with the law enforcement agency here, we are going to engage with the community, and put the community and poliepartment on a path to reform.

Geoff: On that point, there was a reason why you were in Louisville, are in Louisville right now.

And earlier today appeared with the attorney general and associate attorney general.

Also there were local leaders, members of the police department.

It was to show that there was broad agreement at the federal and local level that there is this need for change.

There are people in Louisville who are wondering if local leaders are really up to the job of implementing that change, when many of these violations happened on their watch.

>> I'm hopeful and encouraged.

Today marks a new day for the city of Louisville.

The mayor and the police chief joined us and committed to working with us to put in place a consent decree.

We will have court oversight, we will have an independent monitor.

At every stage we are going to engage with the community.

Today happen meeting with community leaders, have met with law enforcement leaders today.

Now it's a time where we roll up our sleeves and figure out what are the reforms that help ensure that the kinds of incidents that we've seen in the past and resulting tragedies never happen again.

And I said that with full acknowledgment that being a police officer is not an easy job, and most officers carry out their jobs with duty and integrity.

But what our 90 page report makes clear is that there is a systemic problem, that there has been a pattern and practice of conduct that runs afoul of the constitution, that violates federal law, and that disrespects people civil-rights.

And we are putting in into that, and today marks a new day for the city.

Geoff: You are a lifelong civil-rights attorney.

Why does it take the police killing of a black person, whether it's George Floyd or breonna Taylor or Freddie gray, to spur federal action?

Is there anything that can be done preemptively?

>> These tragedies, the tragic death of breonna Taylor.

I met with her mother today.

George Floyd -- these people should be alive Toda breonna Taylor should be alive today.

George Floyd should be alive today.

The justice department's work to ensure law enforcement accountability and constitutional police safety is one of our highest priorities.

We will not turn our back on this work.

It is hard work, and we are in it for the long haul.

And we look forward to working and engaging with the community and with the police department and city to ensure that tragedies that unfolded in the past never happen again.

Geoff: Lastly, what is the record on these consent decrees?

How much do they effect change, and how well do they work in the long term?

>> The consent decrees that we have secured in the past have proven successful.

We have seen success in places like Seattle and Baltimore where there have been reductions in the use of force against ordinary citizens, where there have been efforts to de-escalate situations to prevent violent outcomes.

So we are very confident that the consent decree that we will put in place here will help to put the city in the police department on a path to reform, on a path to ensure that peoples civil-rights are respected, and on a path to ensuring that the police department can carry out their job of ensuring public safety, and do so in a way that garners trust from the community , and doing so in a way that complies with the constitution.

Geoff: Kristen Clark is the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Justice department.

Thanks so much for your time.

>> Thank you for having me.