New Orleans nears end of federal police oversight
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NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. Photo illustration: Axios Visuals; Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
New Orleans officials will meet with a judge privately Thursday for a status update about the federal consent decree that governs the New Orleans Police Department, the city attorney says.
Why it matters: It's only a matter of time before the decree ends.
The big picture: NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told City Council at a recent meeting that she anticipates the decree to end later this month, unless the federal shutdown delays it.
- "We will be solely on our own" at that point, Kirkpatrick says.
- Last month, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan said the city could end its two-year wind-down period early.
- It was previously expected to end next year.
Zoom in: Gov. Jeff Landry and Mayor LaToya Cantrell have been vocal about wanting to end federal oversight.
- City leaders say ending the federal consent decree will free up officers to do their jobs more effectively.
- Meanwhile, critics say they are concerned about discriminatory practices if the feds aren't watching.
- New Orleans has one of the nation's most expansive consent decrees. Read it.
Between the lines: Decree compliance is also expensive, requiring legal fees and other costs.
- During the city's current budget crisis, it's become even more important to look for items to cut.
- Kirkpatrick told the council the city has spent "millions and millions of dollars" on the decree and there will be "considerable savings" once it ends.
Yes, but: Officials say NOPD will still have oversight, even if the consent decree ends.
- It has an internal Public Integrity Bureau that investigates complaints.
- The Independent Police Monitor is also a city-funded department that will stick around, staffers told council this week.
- It takes reports from community members about police interactions and behavior.
How it works: The consent decree is a formal process for federal oversight of the police department until certain benchmarks are met.
- The city, NOPD and the U.S. Department of Justice entered the agreement in 2013 to ensure that NOPD's services "improve public safety, increase public confidence, and protect the constitutional rights of all citizens," according to the federal monitor's website.
- It came after former Mayor Mitch Landrieu requested the DOJ look into the department following deaths of unarmed civilians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the AP reported.
- NOPD agreed to the decree as a way to "fundamentally change the way it polices" after that investigation found reasonable cause to believe the department had a pattern of excessive force, discriminatory policing, and unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures.