This is the ACLU of Kentucky's response to an inflammatory Open Letter from River City FOP Lodge 614.

Community members have both a constitutional right and a responsibility to question authority. They have a right to understand the policies employed by police, the parameters for deciding when deadly force is appropriate, and the training received on de-escalation techniques. It is unjust to equate the upholding of these rights as “anti-law enforcement” or “race baiting.”

Public expression for accountability can, and often does, coincide with law enforcement efforts to keep the city safe and to engender trust with the community.

However, this view is in stark contrast to the open letter from Sgt. Dave Mutchler, President of the River City Fraternal Order of Police. While Sgt. Mutchler also has the right to express his opinion, he must be aware that making such inflammatory comments will undoubtedly incite outrage. Sgt. Mutchler name calls, belittles, and demeans the Louisville community with threats that “(the FOP) are not afraid of you.” Yet police, like all public servants, ARE accountable to the public.

Yet for decades we have seen the ways in which our system disproportionately impacts communities of color. For example, African-Americans are regularly subjected to lengthier and harsher sentences as compared to their white counter parts, in spite of similar offenses being committed. Furthermore, the entire country has recently been witness to acts that once went unseen; terrible and tragic violence against people of color at the hands of white people, including white law enforcement officers.

Police have among the most challenging and dangerous jobs. While most law enforcement officers carry out their jobs admirably and with great respect for the communities they serve, we cannot ignore the systematic use of excessive force employed by some police officers and a police culture that defends it. We need an end to the prevailing us vs. them policing paradigm, where the police are perceived as occupying forces who cast a broad blanket of suspicion over entire communities under the guise of controlling crime.

The Mayor’s office issued a statement that “(Sgt. Mutchler’s) letter does not reflect the sentiments of me or the vast majority of Louisville’s citizens, who know that we are all on the same page, working to build safe and strong communities for all of our families.”

Yet unfortunately, we are not all on the same page yet. Sgt. Mutchler is clearly not on that page and it is frightening to know that he is not alone. His letter only serves to further divide our community when we need to be building up trust. Threatening the community does nothing to build the “freedom, safety and the ability to live our lives happily and without fear,” that Sgt. Mutchler says we ALL strive to attain.