Coming up, @LMPD interim chief Robert Schroeder and Metro Chief of Public Safety Amy Hess will testify as part of Metro Council's investigation into the Fischer administration's response to #BreonnaTaylor, #DavidMcAtee and protests. Background: wfpl.org/committee-will…
The focus for now will be response to protests that began on May 28. While the committee wants to investigate the cases of #BreonnaTaylor and #DavidMcAtee, they've been asked to hold off due to the FBI and KY AG investigations.
The government oversight and accountability committee is conducting this hearing. Here's who they are:
Attorney for the administration says the topics of the hearing today overlap with the topics in the lawsuit. He says if the committee wants to have a hearing today, it will have to be in closed session. Minutes ago, Chair Ackerson said all hearings would be public.
Attorney for the council says the other attorney's interpretation of the law is too broad.
Chair Ackerson: "You've not been subpoenaed here today. You've chosen to show up as employees of this Metro Goverment." If Hess and Schroeder refuse to testify, Ackerson says the body will need to revisit subpoenas.
When attorneys say "with all due respect," sometimes I think they don't mean it.
Ackerson: "We're not going into executive session. There will be nothing hidden from the public regarding this matter. ... If you're not going to proceed, there's the door."
Hess and Schroeder will not participate. Ackerson calls on @louisvillemayor to come across the street and talk to council.
Committee members do not seem happy with how Ackerson is not sharing information, from letters from earlier that indicated Hess and Schroeder would not testify to members not seeing the questions submitted by other members.
Ackerson lays out the key question that's emerged from this hearing-turned-legal-debate: "Should a civil lawsuit against this city prevent this body from seeking to get the information out there?"
Now @CouncilmanJames chimes in to say issuing subpoenas is the right next step. That will lead to a judge making a ruling, assuming the administration challenges the subpoenas.
.@CMPiagentini moves to subpoena Hess and Schroeder. Councilwoman Donna Purvis seconds.
In case you didn't know... The council voted to authorize subpoenas but not to issue any specific ones prior to today. The idea was to invite members of the administration to testify under oath as a first step before turning to subpoenas.
The motion passes, 10-1, to subpoena Hess and Schroeder. @BillHollander voted no because he wants to review the legal issue at hand before issuing subpoenas.
Committee chair Brent Ackerson says interim chief Robert Schroeder will be put under oath, then face the committee's questions.
"I was unable to testify under the advice of my attorney" due to lawsuit "but at all times I have agreed to provide information in executive session."
Executive session is not open to the public.
Schroeder: Our response to protests was not always perfect, but we responded the best we could "reasonably do under the unprecedented circumstances" combined with limited resources/staffing.
For nearly two months, @LMPD Interim Chief Robert Schroeder has declined to testify openly at Metro Council -- first by walking out, then via lawsuit. Now the KY Appeals Court has denied his appeal, which means he must testify openly today at 1:30. He retires Thursday.
@LMPD The Metro Council's government oversight committee announced its investigation in July: wfpl.org/committee-will…
They tried at first to get testimony from Schroeder and public safety chief Amy Hess via invitation, without subpoenas. That didn't work out. wfpl.org/legal-question…
@louisvillemayor@LMPD Fischer says one of the officers shot last night (in the leg) has been treated and released. The other (shot in abdomen) underwent surgery and is expected to recover. Mayor says violence is not the answer, and last night's shootings "completely unacceptable."
"I'm asking everyone to reject violence and join me in committed ourselves to the work of reform," @louisvillemayor says, and cites Dr. King's call to respond to "fierce urgency of now."
An attorney for David McAtee's family responds to an LMPD report that was the subject of a controversial Courier Journal article that was published, removed, then published again yesterday. I covered that here: wfpl.org/mayor-slams-br…
At 11th/Main, a rally organized by @untilfreedom. The father of Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo., is expected to speak in support of Breonna Taylor’s family.