A Louisville Metro Police officer was suspended for 20 days after tasing a handcuffed homeless man, who fell and hit his face on a downtown sidewalk, according to a Courier-Journal report. The disciplinary record also says the officer struck another man in the head multiple times with his handgun during a separate encounter.
The Courier-Journal published an exclusive report about the suspension of an LMPD officer.
Videos showed police officers escorting a deer from a Louisville YMCA, as reported by WLKY News.
The Disciplinary Penalty
Bergquist received a 20-day suspension.
Appeal deadlines and public records
The Louisville Metro Police Merit Board’s rules allow a person aggrieved by a board suspension to appeal to circuit court within 30 days of the board’s action, according to the Merit Board Rules and Regulations. The cited rule establishes the appeal deadline but does not show whether Bergquist appealed or specify what records are made public.
A separate appeal route allows a challenge to a Merit Board final order in court within 30 days.
Taser Use Sits Inside a Larger Federal Finding
A March 2023 U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that Louisville Metro Police engaged in a pattern of excessive force. The findings included unreasonable Taser use and force against people who were restrained or not posing a threat. A proposed consent decree was dismissed in January 2026 after the department withdrew its support.
The DOJ report also said senior LMPD officials had changed Taser policy multiple times without providing corresponding officer training. It described officers as poorly equipped to use the devices, with some reportedly expressing fear or confusion about newly issued Tasers. The department’s use-of-force policies have also faced scrutiny.
Part of a Pattern Involving Downtown's Unhoused Residents
A separate LMPD supervisory-discipline case concerned an April 2023 downtown encounter involving an unhoused man. Lt. Caleb Stewart appealed his suspension in August; Hoodline previously reported on the case.
Whether the Professional Standards Unit investigation into Bergquist’s conduct was referred to outside prosecutors for possible criminal charges over the handgun strikes remains an open question.
