New Orleans Police Department News

DOJ: Unjustified Force, Bias Still Plague New Orleans Police

Unjustified use of force, dangerous vehicle pursuits and racially biased policing continue to be problems for the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Friday court filing, opposing the city’s move to terminate a decade-old court-backed …

New Orleans Officials Seek to End Federal Oversight of Police

New Orleans officials asked a federal judge Tuesday to end court-supervised oversight of its police department under a pact negotiated with the U.S. Justice Department a decade ago, after deadly police shootings of civilians following Hurricane Katrina cast renewed scrutiny …

New Orleans Mayor OKs Facial Recognition Use for Cops

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell signed an ordinance Thursday to partly reverse the city’s ban on police use of facial recognition software. She had pushed for the changes in a ban approved nearly two years ago, when crime was low. …

Louisiana Woman 30th Guilty Plea in Staged Auto Crash Cases

A Louisiana woman has pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud arising out of a staged automobile accident with a tractor-trailer occurring in New Orleans, making her the 30th guilty plea in “Operation Sideswipe.” Donisha Lee, age 30, admitted …

New Orleans Settles Katrina Police Action Civil Rights Cases for $13M

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the settlement of three federal civil rights lawsuits stemming from city police actions related to Hurricane Katrina. Landrieu joined city officials and the families of James Brissette, Henry Glover, Ronald Madison, and Raymond Robair …

Guilty Plea in Post-Katrina Shooting Cover Up Opens Way for Civil Suits Against Police

A former police sergeant has admitted that he helped cover up the fatal police shootings of two people in the chaotic days following Hurricane Katrina, ending a criminal case that roiled the New Orleans Police Department after the 2005 storm. …