The American Civil Liberties Union says the officers indicted Thursday by a grand jury in connection with the May 2019 slaying of Ronald Greene should not be law enforcement officers any longer.
"More than three and a half years after Ronald Greene was killed by Louisiana State Troopers, five law enforcement officers have been indicted on state charges by a grand jury in Union Parish, Louisiana. The state police said on Thursday that two troopers have been placed on administrative leave because of the indictment, including Kory York, who was charged with the most serious offenses, and John Clary, the highest-ranking trooper at the scene," a release from the organization says.
Alanah Odoms, executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the ACLU, made this statement:
“The ACLU of Louisiana is calling for the termination and decertification of all officers indicted in Mr. Greene’s killing. Placing these troopers on administrative leave is not justice for Ronald Greene — it is instead a luxury that allows the officers who killed him to retire or resign and join any other law enforcement agency throughout the state. This lack of accountability is shocking because it means these troopers could be free to continue their pattern of abuse.
“If this type of violent behavior is left unchecked, it will certainly result in more brutality and more deaths.
“For years now, through our Justice Lab program, the ACLU of Louisiana has made calls for a radical transformation of policing and transparent relationships with the public. This year at the Capitol we also supported ACT 668, a new law that helps prevent rogue officers from being hired by other police departments, even if the officer is allowed to resign or retire as a result of disciplinary action. Our work to dismantle the systemic culture of violence, terror, and discrimination within our state’s law enforcement agencies is comprehensive and aimed at identifying root causes of misconduct so that they can be fixed, once and for all. Police accountability is at the forefront of that work.
“We must finally break this pattern of allowing officers who act with impunity to continue working in this state. These agencies must start investigating misconduct in good faith and decertifying officers that should not have a badge here or elsewhere.”
