Consent Decree Monitor (New Orleans) Information

On January 11, 2013, the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into an Agreement to ensure that the services of the NOPD improve public safety, increase public confidence, and protect the constitutional rights of all citizens. In the Agreement, the NOPD agreed to fundamentally change the way it polices throughout the New Orleans community. The NOPD Consent Decree is the result of an extensive investigation of the NOPD conducted by the United States Department of Justice. The investigation was conducted with the full cooperation of the City of New Orleans and the NOPD, and the resulting Consent Decree is a product of a cooperative effort by all parties. The role of the Consent Decree Monitor is to "assess and report whether the requirements of [the Consent Decree] have been implemented, and whether this implementation is resulting in the constitutional and professional treatment of individuals by NOPD." The Consent Decree is comprehensive in nature and details specific areas for corrective action including: use of force; stops, searches, seizures and arrests; photographic lineups; custodial interrogations; bias-free policing; policing free of gender bias; community engagement; recruitment; training; performance evaluations; promotions; officer assistance and support; supervision; secondary employment; and misconduct-complaint intake, investigation and adjudication. The Consent Decree represents a proactive and robust mandate for reform of the policies, training, and practices of the NOPD with specific agreed-upon corrective actions and timeframes for implementation.