It’s a new day, yet another drug bust in Louisville, Kentucky. Demetrius Allison sat quietly at home with his three young children when the police swooped in and charged him with drug dealing. They attacked him for “resisting arrest” and took nearly $10,000 in cash from him.
Home to many violent crimes, Louisville residents also have the dubious distinction of being “protected” by one of the most controversial police departments in America, the LMPD, or Louisville Metro Police Department.
The LMPD, and its drug division in particular, was the subject of a recent Vice News investigative report that took two years to craft and film. Vice exposed rampant corruption within the LMPD, including cases of police stealing money and drugs from crime scenes.
Their modus operandi includes searching homes or cars with or without a warrant and accusing people of illegally selling or possessing drugs. If there are drugs at the scene, they will be confiscated immediately and any cash found will be automatically marked as drug money.
However, when they came to the police to prepare a forensic report, the officers did not disclose the total amount of cash seized. They declare less than what they take away (drugs and money). No one checks or double-checks, so the rest of the cash is usually lost, presumably to corrupt police.
Neither is the money taken from these victims, branded drug money. Michael Jackson, a barber with $24,000, his life savings, was arrested for drug dealing at a gas station even though he had no evidence or witnesses in his defense. Detective Brett Hankison, the officer in charge of the arrest, reported recovering only $14,000. All charges against Jackson were eventually dropped, but he never got the $10,000 back.
One of the more insidious aspects of these crimes perpetrated by the police is that the victims, like Demetrius Allison and Michael Jackson, whose troubles resulted in a fractured occipital lobe, had a specific appearance and characteristics: They were predominantly African-American people. They also rehabilitate drug addicts, which makes it harder for anyone to take them seriously when it comes to legal proceedings.
One of the alleged victims was Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by officers who searched her home and claimed to resist arrest. The case brought public attention and was highlighted in the #BlackLivesMatter movement and protests in 2021, drawing more attention to discrimination, violence and police corruption.
Vice reporter Rob Ferdman also interviewed an anonymous whistleblower who revealed that corruption was indeed at the heart of the Louisville Police Department’s culture, with officers seizing and distributing as much as $500,000. That’s why the higher ups in the organization don’t put a stop to these activities.
No cops have been charged in Breonna Taylor’s death, and there are many more victims, like Demetrius Allison and Mike Jackson, who will continue to suffer from those destined to protect the populace unfair treatment. Unfortunately, this is a systemic problem that has been condoned by upper management.
