Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

A disturbing report in the Louisville Courier Journal has rocked the Louisville police department. A young man in the police's Youth Explorer program was raped by officers over a two year time period. Mayor Greg Fischer said "The allegations represent an appalling betrayal of trust and abuse of power, and threaten a program that has helped so many young men and women interested in becoming police officers and law enforcement leaders.” The program was a partnership with the Boy Scouts and designed to mentor kids aged 14-19 who were interested in working in law enforcement. The crime is horrific but equally so is that other law enforcement officials knew about the abuse but didn't report it—indicating that complacency is an ally to moral breakdown and an enemy to innocent lives caught in the crosshairs.