U.S. Department of Justice Set to release report about New Orleans Police

From [HERE] Federal and city officials will announce tomorrow the results of the 10-month-long investigation into the New Orleans Police Department, which began last spring at the request of Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

The assessment, which was conducted amid the backdrop of at least nine federal criminal probes into the NOPD, is expected to be highly critical of the department.

When announcing the inquiry in May 2010, top officials with the U.S. Department of Justice promised a wide-ranging investigation, including looks at the department's hiring practices, allegations of excessive force used by police, how particular neighborhoods are served and whether searches are conducted in unconstitutional manners.

For months, Landrieu and NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas have said they believe the results of the federal review will be announced soon. At a news conference Wednesday, Serpas said he believed the report's release was "imminent" but that he had not yet received the document.

Later in the day, both Landrieu and the Justice Department sent out news releases saying a news conference would be held this morning at Gallier Hall. In attendance, along with Landrieu and Serpas, will be Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, who oversees the civil rights division, and U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

Landrieu invited the Justice Department's investigation at a time when the NOPD had already been under the microscope. While several of the nine federal probes have led to indictments -- and in one case last winter, convictions -- the special litigation review is separate, focused on identifying any systemic problems within the NOPD.

The assessment was conducted by the Justice Department's special litigation section, which is empowered to investigate police agencies' "patterns and practices" under the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act. In other cities, the Justice Department has sued cities to ensure that changes are made in police practices. The end result in those cases was a formal consent decree, overseen by a federal judge and a monitor who evaluated whether sufficient reforms were implemented.

While federal officials have not said whether that will happen in New Orleans, Landrieu has said he believes the initial investigation will be the first step toward a consent decree, which he said is necessary to ensure changes are made a part of the NOPD's culture.

It is clear that some problem areas identified by the Justice Department have already been brought to Serpas' attention. For example, last October he announced that the agency was suspending use of the NOPD's K-9 dogs for apprehensions because of "deficiencies" in the program. NOPD, however, still uses the dogs when searching for bombs or drugs.

On Wednesday, Serpas said Capt. James Scott, head of the NOPD's Special Operations Division, which oversees the K-9 unit, has rebuilt "the entire K-9 unit from the ground up."

"We are on the verge of having the Department of Justice revisit our K-9 unit," Serpas said, noting that four dogs, along with their handlers, can be re-evaluated by the federal agency.