NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Concerns regarding the New Orleans Police Department have been growing for years, and Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick took Tuesday’s town hall as an opportunity to address some of them.
One of the main concerns discussed at the event was the growing presence of the Louisiana State Police in New Orleans and its ability to work around the consent decree. Kirkpatrick said the decision to bring them into the city is out of her control.
“We actually welcome their partnership, but even if we didn’t, it wouldn’t matter because they can come,” Kirkpatrick said.
Concerns of first amendment violations were brought up with people sharing stories of NOPD officers threatening peaceful protestors or claiming permitted marches were unpermitted.
Kirkpatrick addressed this by saying that the first amendment will be honored in the city and that any violation must be reported. She says that any officer reported is allowed a fair investigation.
“When someone complains against an officer, we will investigate it. But due process is also applied, so what is applied to you is also applied to the officers,” Kirkpatrick said.
To help bring accountability to the department, many citizens are calling for the organization of a civilian police accountability council with real decision-making power.
“Community oversight that has some power; power to subpoena, power to make decisions. It’s a balance there for in terms of police suspending rights,” New Orleans resident Leon Shabazz said.
Kirkpatrick says that she disagrees with the idea, saying boards like that can cause too many problems.
“My opinion from my experience is that community oversight with power has proven to be very dysfunctional in a lot of cities. I am the object of one of that.”
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