• The Trump administration is discontinuing federal oversight agreements with police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville.
• Justice Department officials cited previous reforms as overreaching and counterproductive.
• Investigations into police departments across several states, initiated under the Biden administration, are being closed.
• Activists vow to continue pushing for police accountability at the local level despite federal withdrawal.
• This decision comes just before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder, which sparked nationwide protests.

The Trump administration has announced it is moving to withdraw federal oversight agreements with police departments in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Louisville, Kentucky, along with closing investigations into numerous other police departments. This shift, declared by the Justice Department, marks a significant rollback of the police reform initiatives established during the Biden administration following high-profile cases including the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In doing so, the DOJ aims to retract findings alleging systemic unconstitutional policing practices by these departments, prompting concerns from advocates about accountability, according to ABC News, New York Times, and CBS News.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon criticized the Biden-era consent decrees as "failed experiments" that improperly limited local control over police practices. The Justice Department's announcement, made days before the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, sought to dismantle agreements aimed at reforming practices in various cities plagued by allegations of police violence against Black citizens, as reported by NPR and BBC.

This decision also involves dismissals of investigations into several other jurisdictions, including Phoenix, Arizona, and Trenton, New Jersey. Critics, such as Rev. Al Sharpton, have expressed fears that such actions indicate a troubling retreat from necessary accountability, which could lead to increased police misconduct without federal oversight, according to The Hill, Reuters, and CBS News.

In response, police reform advocates have vowed to escalate their push for local accountability measures, including potential city council initiatives aimed at upholding standards that reflect those of the now-dropped consent decrees. Activists argue for a fundamental rethinking of public safety beyond mere adjustments in police funding, indicating a desire for community-driven approaches to policing, highlighted by sources including NPR and Reuters.