LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Less than one week after the Department of Justice released its report into Louisville police practices, conversations about the future are continuing.
Monday morning, the Louisville Urban League held a press conference speaking about the findings from the DOJ report.
"Our calls for human rights and dignity have been acknowledged and affirmed. Now, the real work begins. The pursuit of equal justice under the law for everyone," Dr. Kish Cumi Price read from parts of the nearly 90-page Department of Justice report, at times getting emotional.
A large focus during the press conference was on recommendations to handling the collective bargaining agreement, or contract, between the city and the police union, the River City Fraternal Order of Police.
Members of the Urban League, the 490 Project, and ACLU Kentucky recently began the review of the collective bargaining agreement and listed more than a dozen recommendations to do what the groups believe will lead to a more transparent, equitable, and accountable community-centered agreement.
One of the topics discussed the most involved the negotiation process with the collective bargaining agreement.
"The city can make all future FOP contract negotiations public," said Price, Louisville Urban League's president and CEO.
In a document presented during Monday's news conference, the Urban League also said metro government should include community members on its negotiation team.
According to the city, the current collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30, 2023 and negotiations with the FOP will begin in the next few weeks.
A statement Monday afternoon from Kevin Trager, Mayor Greenberg's press secretary reads:
"We welcome and encourage any and all community input on the collective bargaining agreement with the FOP."
During the press conference, Price said the Urban League plans to meet with Mayor Greenberg about the recommendations.
WDRB News has reached out to officials with the River City FOP. They declined to comment at this time but said a statement or comment may be provided "at some point soon."
Regarding the report from the Department of Justice, LMPD has agreed to enter into a consent decree as the department makes agreed-upon changes to policing practices.
The terms will be negotiated in the coming months before the agreement is filed in federal court, Associate U.S. Attorney Vanita Gupta said last week.
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