Danziger Bridge

Fifth Officer Charged In Connection With Danziger Bridge Shootings

Jillian Rayfield | May 21, 2010, 1:19PM

The Danziger Bridge in New Orleans

A fifth officer has been charged in connection with the Danziger Bridge shootings, in which police officers in New Orleans allegedly shot unarmed civilians on the bridge just days after Hurricane Katrina.

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New Orleans Police Department

Feds Announce Probe Of New Orleans Police Dept.

Justin Elliott | May 17, 2010, 4:40PM

Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

In a press conference in New Orleans today, Justice Department Civil Rights chief Thomas Perez announced the DOJ is launching a formal assessment of the city's troubled police department, the first step to installing federal oversight.

The Times-Picayune reports:

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New Orleans Police Department

New Orleans Mayor Asks Feds To Reform City's Notorious Police Department

Justin Elliott | May 5, 2010, 5:39PM

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

Just two days after taking office, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu held a press conference today to announce he has asked the Justice Department to intervene and force a "complete transformation" of the city's troubled police department.

"I have inherited a police force that has been described by many as one of the worst police departments in the country. This assessment is made based on several indicators including the number of violent crimes, incidents of rape, and malfeasance by members of the police department," Landrieu wrote in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.

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