UNDER THE RUG

Videos of White Louisiana Troopers Beating Black People Were Hidden for Years, Says Report

An AP investigation uncovered at least a dozen cases over the past 10 years in which troopers hid evidence of brutality.

Sickening videos of white Louisiana State Police troopers delivering brutal beatings to Black and Latino people were routinely concealed by their bosses—sometimes for years—according to the Associated Press. An AP investigation uncovered at least a dozen cases over the past 10 years in which troopers are said to have “ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame, and impeded efforts to root out misconduct.” In one example, the AP reports that a white trooper can be seen slamming a flashlight into a Black man 18 times—breaking the man’s jaw and his ribs—but the footage was reportedly mislabeled and wasn’t looked at for 536 days after the event. Col. Lamar Davis, the state police superintendent, said the agency had recently overhauled its excessive force policies. “No instance of excessive force is acceptable,” he said, “and when the department learns of such misconduct, an immediate review is launched leading to administrative and/or potential criminal investigations.”