On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan placed the New Orleans Police Department under a two-year “sustainment” plan in their long-running, court-enforced reform agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. "What a great day this is," said NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, who made compliance with the federal consent decree a top goal when she was tapped to lead the city's police force in late 2023. "It's a huge milestone for the city. ... This police department is truly a world-class police department in a world-class city." At the same time, Morgan rejected as moot a surprise bid that Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration lodged on Friday, seeking to resurrect a dormant 2022 motion to end the federal oversight with no offramp.
Morgan pointed to ongoing deficiencies on the NOPD, including an incomplete remedial action plan for internal affairs investigations. That plan came after Morgan found numerous violations of the consent decree in the department's investigation of former officer Jeffrey Vappie, the mayor's alleged love interest. Stella Cziment, the city’s independent police monitor, said she agreed with Morgan’s take. Hundreds of public comments submitted over the sustainment plan were based “on the understanding that NOPD is committing to two years of work,” Cziment said. “A motion like that taps into the fears the community had.” A nominee of former President Barack Obama, Morgan has overseen the NOPD consent decree since then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu agreed to it in July 2012, after the DOJ issued a blistering report that found an NOPD rife with corruption, unconstitutional practices and bias.
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