Abuses of authority by those crowned with the public trust are far too common, and have been consistently ignored by the current District Attorney. As NOPD leadership has realized in the wake of the current federal consent decree, outside pressure can improve both the culture and policies of local law enforcement.
The current DA commits to accepting at least 90% of cases that come across his desk. With this, he essentially commits to accepting and prosecuting a number of bad cases involving improper or unconstitutional arrests, thereby encouraging and endorsing a culture of bad behavior that he is legally sworn to fight. This very pattern of blind case acceptance is often a gateway for even more outrageous law enforcement behavior.
Record of Reform: Councilmember Jason Williams Announces Plans to Create New Advisory Committee to Examine Allocation of City Resources
Record of Reform: New Orleans City Council Calls for New Public Database on Police Misconduct