Feds Find ‘Systemic Violations of Civil Rights’ by New Orleans Police Department
propublica.org

The U.S. Department of Justice released a 158-page report today on the New Orleans Police Department, identifying a host of deep systemic problems, including a pattern of discriminatory policing, the routine use of “unnecessary and unreasonable” force, and a chronic failure to discipline officers involved in misconduct.

The NOPD “has been largely indifferent to widespread violations of law and policy by its officers,” states the report, which was compiled by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights section.

The report also suggests that NOPD officials may have sought to cover up evidence in incidents in which police shot civilians. “NOPD’s mishandling of officer-involved shooting investigations was so blatant and egregious that it appeared intentional in some respects,” the report says.