New Report Reveals Persistent Police Misconduct in Cities Under Trump DOJ Oversight

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has released a new report challenging the Trump Justice Department's assertion that police reform efforts were "factually unjustified." The report highlights ongoing issues of excessive force and racial targeting by law enforcement in several cities, including Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis. According to the ACLU, these departments continued to engage in unconstitutional policing practices even after federal oversight was dropped under the Trump administration.

The review, which analyzed hundreds of police use-of-force reports from late 2024 to early 2025, found that officers frequently misused Tasers and failed to properly investigate instances of excessive force. In one incident in Minneapolis, a man who had complied with police orders was repeatedly shocked with a Taser by multiple officers. Similarly, in Louisville, an officer broke the window of a car during a mental health call and pointed his gun at the driver while another officer pulled him out of the vehicle; the man then brandished a knife after being hit with a baton and shocked seven times.

The ACLU's investigation underscores concerns about the rollback of federal oversight under the Trump administration. The report also cites ProPublica’s findings on police misconduct in Louisville and Memphis, Tennessee, where Trump deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marshals amid claims of racial profiling and harassment. Despite these allegations, the U.S. Marshals Service maintains that there was no evidence of racial profiling during their operations.

The ACLU's objective with this report is to hold local police accountable for continuing reforms in the absence of federal oversight. The nonprofit organization made public records requests from several departments across different states, including Phoenix and Worcester, Massachusetts, to document ongoing issues related to excessive force and racial targeting. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing for the ACLU, stated that their analysis confirms fears about the DOJ's withdrawal from civil rights enforcement in communities that needed federal intervention.

The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment, while a White House spokesperson dismissed the findings as "partisan talking points." The report specifically focuses on Louisville and Minneapolis due to their agreements with the Biden Justice Department before oversight was discontinued under the Trump administration.