DOJ Report Says Louisiana State Police Have Pattern of Misconduct

The Louisiana State Police for years have used excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits, a statewide pattern of misconduct that places the public at “serious risk of harm,” according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department. State officials say the report is based on “isolated incidents.”

A DOJ civil rights inquiry, announced in 2022 following an Associated Press investigation, found troopers’ use of stun guns “particularly concerning,” and that troopers have used force on people who “do not pose a threat or a flight risk,” often because they are restrained. It cited “systemic failures in supervision” and “chronic underreporting of force.”

“We also found that troopers use excessive force to immediately control encounters, often within the first few moments of encountering a person and without giving the person a warning or an opportunity to comply,” the report said. “Additionally, LSP uses excessive force on people who run from troopers, even when that person is only suspected of a misdemeanor,” the Associated Press reports.

Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, blasted the report as an attempt “to diminish the service and exceptionality of LSP.”

Col. Robert Hodges, the state police superintendent, told troopers in an internal email obtained by AP that the “isolated incidents” highlighted in the report “are not a fair assessment of today’s Louisiana State Police or our agency’s incredibly proud history and culture.”