Commonwealth Policy Center

A Louisville police officer has returned to duty after being placed on leave for 4 months. So what led to Officer Matthew Schrenger’s forced leave? He simply prayed outside the Louisville abortion clinic while off-duty. LMPD sent the officer a list of potential violations, but his lawyer found no violations. So here’s the question, since when do the First Amendment rights of an off-duty police officer not apply? There hasn’t been a single officer placed on leave for participating in Black Lives Matter or LGBT pride events. So why was an off-duty officer who quietly prayed outside an abortion clinic? The officer’s attorney said, “It was quickly clear to our lawyers, LMPD did not have a foot to stand on. It’s too bad it took LMPD four months to figure it out.”