LA State Police Controversy

The ghost of Ronald Greene continues to hover over the Louisiana State Troopers law enforcement agency (LSP)as news of a high-ranking official announced his intentions to retire from the agency. In recent developments, it was announced that Sgt. Albert Paxton has put in his retirement papers at LSP, which has to be discerning, given the nature of Paxton's involvement surrounding the circumstances of Greene's death. Paxton was the LSP officer who was actively looking into the circumstances in Greene's death at the hands of troopers in 2019. He told a panel of Louisiana legislators that his superiors did not always accept his recommendations regarding officer-related shootings. Although Greene did not die from a gunshot wound, his death occurred as a result of a horrific beating he suffered at the hands of troopers, where one was alleged to have said on video that he beat the f--- out of Greene. The public didn't know of that until leaked videos were made available to the public, forcing officials at LSP to answer to Greene's family and the public. According to reports, Paxton wanted criminal charges brought against a trooper but was rebuffed by senior officials. Now that the videos have been made public, many are asking why there weren't any troopers charged, especially after more of what actually happened to Greene had been revealed. Officials dug in their heels, refusing to admit that something serious happened to Greene, and the agency has yet to ensure that those responsible would be held accountable. The public would also learn that a requirement for troopers to turn in their video recordings to be uploaded into the system was not always done with the knowledge of high-ranking superiors at the agency. Paxton said that happened to him as an investigator too. When State Sen. Katrina Jackson specifically asked Paxton about his recommendations being turned down by superiors and whether Troopers didn't turn in their videos at all times, Paxton said "yes" to both questions. Paxton would later say that even though he can get access to videos, he must still get permission from his superiors. LSP Supt. Lamar Davis says that even though permission is still needed, videos can't be deleted once they are downloaded. The fact remains that higher-ups within the department who see controversial videos can still prevent investigators from seeing them if those videos compromise the agency into wrongdoing on the part of troopers.

Many have said that has already happened in the Greene case, alleging a coverup at LSP. Davis said that safeguards within the system would alert them if a trooper hasn't "plugged in" their cameras. Davis said nothing about what kind of repercussions a trooper could face for not complying with regulations. Paxton is allegedly under investigation by LSP for discussing the contents of an unnamed report with his wife, but many see that as a retaliatory move against Paxton for his apparent honest reply to a serious question that concerns his integrity and honesty as a police officer. Once again, LSP is given an opportunity to right a wrong but has instead decided to hide from the truth. The Paxton revelation only makes it worse.