The City of New Orleans, alongside Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, is pushing for the conclusion of the New Orleans Police Department's (NOPD) Consent Decree. In a statement obtained by the City of New Orleans, officials argue that the New Orleans Police Department has consistently demonstrated constitutional policing and believe it is time to recognize the department's reform efforts and terminate the Consent Decree.
In their most recent filing, the City claimed substantial compliance by the New Orleans Police Department, citing an agreement in April 2022 between the City, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and federal monitors which found compliance in 15 of the 17 Consent Decree categories, with the last two nearly there. Following a motion filed in August 2022 to terminate the decree, the City is awaiting a court ruling. City Attorney Donesia Turner emphasized the transformation the New Orleans Police Department undergone, speaking to the improvements in training and practice, "The NOPD of 2012 is not the NOPD of today," she said. "All of our officers are taught and trained on constitutional policing and practices, of which they implement daily," as stated by the City of New Orleans.
The New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick compared the department's progress to an elite athlete's rigorous discipline, a quote as reported by the City of New Orleans: "NOPD is like an athlete who has been in training for years who became an elite athlete." She detailed the continuous effort over 12 years that has positioned the New Orleans Police Department at the forefront of law enforcement.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell also praised the dedication of New Orleans Police Department's men and women, applauding the department's policies, procedures, and audit results as standing "proudly alongside any department in America." The citizens were called by Mayor Cantrell to continue holding the New Orleans Police Department to high standards, suggesting the Consent Decree's principles have been thoroughly instituted. "This is the essence of the new NOPD—an unrelenting pursuit of improvement, grounded in accountability, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to the constitutional policing principles and policies established during the Consent Decree," she told the City of New Orleans.
