Welcome
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 further provides that the "Monitor shall be subject to the supervision and orders of the Court . . " and that the "Monitor shall only have the duties, responsibilities, and authority conferred by [the Consent Decree]." The Consent Decree makes clear that the "Monitor shall not, and is not intended to, replace or assume the role and duties of the City and NOPD, including the Superintendent."
Upcoming Monitor’s Events & Information Regarding the Sustainment Period
Consistent with our approach to engaging with the public regarding the Joint Motion to Enter the Sustainment Period and the accompanying Court Notice, the Monitoring Team will hold a second virtual public meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 2 pm Central. A link to that Zoom meeting can be found HERE.
The public is welcome to submit questions in advance of the public meeting via aburns@consentdecreemonitor.onmicrosoft.com or submit questions in real-time during the presentation. The event will be recorded and the recording and all questions will be posted to the OCDM website with the name of the submitter, if available. Questions may be submitted anonymously.
Additionally, 2-3 in-person public meetings will be held on October 28 and October 29. We will post the exact times and locations shortly. For planning purposes, the 28th meeting will be in the afternoon/evening; the 29th meeting will be in the morning. There may be a third meeting scheduled for the evening of the 29th. The U.S. Department of Justice plans to be present at and participate in some or all of the in-person public meetings.
For the convenience of all, we have compiled and shortly will be posting a list of public questions asked to date – with answers from the Monitoring Team. The list will be posted HERE and will be updated regularly.
Finally, the details concerning the planned Court Hearing on the Sustainment Period (the “Fairness Hearing”) will be posted HERE shortly.
Monitor’s Public Statement Regarding the Parties’ Joint Motion to Begin Sustainment Period
September 30, 2024
On September 27, 2024, the Department of Justice and the City of New Orleans filed a joint motion requesting that Judge Morgan permit the City and the NOPD to enter the “Sustainment Period” of compliance, as provided for in Consent Decree paragraph 491. That motion was accompanied by a proposed “Sustainment Plan,” which addresses specific Consent Decree requirements that require additional effort to achieve compliance, additional time for the Monitor to review, or both.
That same day, the Court filed a Notice to the Public that explained the process the Court will follow in evaluating the joint motion. The Notice provides that over the next 45 days, the Monitor will hold a series of virtual and/or in-person meetings to hear community reactions and answer community questions. The Notice also states, “The Monitor will inform the Court of all issues raised in the course of those meetings.”
Public feedback has been and will continue to be an important component of the Court’s and the Monitor’s evaluation of the state of the City’s and NOPD’s compliance. Throughout the life of the Consent Decree, we have held public meetings, met with individuals and organizations, and reviewed correspondence from the public. The feedback we have received has been shared with the Court. It also has played a valuable role in the development of the proposed Sustainment Plan.
Consistent with our approach to engaging with the public and the Court’s Notice, the Monitor held a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at Noon CT. The recording of that meeting is available HERE. The presentation from that meeting is available HERE.
The Monitor will hold additional meetings at places and dates that will be announced in the near future at which we will review the City’s and the NOPD’s progress toward compliance, discuss the proposed Sustainment Plan, and take questions and comments from the public. We will report the questions and comments we receive to the Court to aid its evaluation of the Parties’ motion. Ultimately, the Court will determine whether to grant the Parties’ motion to begin the sustainment period and under what conditions.
In addition to the Monitor’s public meetings, the Court plans to hold a “Fairness Hearing” in the next 45 days in the Hale Boggs Federal Courthouse, during which any member of the public is invited to come to court and share their views regarding the joint motion and/or the proposed Sustainment Plan. The date of the Fairness Hearing will be announced shortly. Members of the public who cannot or do not want to appear in person may submit questions/comments before October 25, 2024, via email to Clerk@laed.uscourts.gov or addressed to Clerk of Court, U.S. District Court, EDLA, 500 Poydras St., Room C-151, New Orleans, LA 70130.
For ease of access, below are links to the most recent Court Filings:
Getting More Information
As noted above, the Monitoring Team has established a LinkedIn presence to announce public hearings, public meetings, and its regular and special public reports. Any member of the public can follow the new Consent Decree Monitor LinkedIn page by clicking HERE.
If you would like to provide your feedback, comments, or questions regarding the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Consent Decree to the Court or Monitoring Team please email: aburns@consentdecreemonitor.onmicrosoft.com
Judge Susie Morgan will endeavor to review all public questions, and respond during upcoming NOPD Consent Decree Compliance court hearings.
NOPD Policies and Regulations
The approved NOPD Policies can be found on their website at: NOPD - Policies - City of New Orleans (nola.gov)
To ensure sustained reforms beyond the completion of the Consent Decree, the City adopted regulations mandating the continuation of the foundational reforms of the Consent Decree. You can view the regulations here.