New Orleans Police Agree to Federal Overhaul

New Orleans is a city plagued by public safety issues, including 200 murders last year. Several high-profile cases of police violence, as well as wide-ranging systemic failures, means local law enforcement are probably better known for contributing to the safety issues than they are to solving them.

This week, the New Orleans Police Department took a major step toward turning the department around by signing a comprehensive, 122-page consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to overhaul a broad range of policies within the police force.

The decree emerged from an 11-month DOJ investigation that found rampant bias, excessive force, and unaccountability. The measures the NOPD agreed to adopt include videotaping interrogations to rules forbidding officers from threatening those they are interrogating with violence against them and their families.

Mayor Landrieu expects the cost of compliance to be $11 million per year.

Thanks to Rachel Proctor May